SOCIAL CARDS WILL PROTECT THE HUMAN RIGHTS
A1 Plus | 17:53:15 | 24-05-2004 | Social | author: Mher Arshakyan |
Q: Recently a few citizens have applied to the Armenian Ombudsman
complaining of the fact they are imposed to obtain social cards. Can
people refuse the social cards within their rights?
A: What does it mean to defend oneself from a social card? We don’t
consider imposing the social cards as infringement of rights since
there is a Law obliging everyone. The Law provides that implementation
of the right of social insurance must be conditioned by introduction of
the system, so it is a clause provided by Law and everyone must obey
it. People say their rights are violated at the aspect of religious
convictions. The issue was discussed and settled in the newly-approved
Law. The Law makes provision that a social card, which is a document
is allowed to citizens and the social card or the document has a
number. One can say under the same logic he doesn’t want to have a
passport since it violates his rights. But we all know a passport is
a document, which is given to citizens and applied for implementation
of citizens’ rights in cases and order provided by Legislation.
Q: How do you explain the fact that a citizen can’t separate a social
card from the religious context?
A: As a Christian and a believer of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
a citizen must accept the statement of Armenian Apostolic Church,
under which the religious problems were settled in the new Law on
social cards. In other words, there isn’t a religious problem any more.
Q: Is the fact that social cards are imposed on citizens within the
human rights?
A: The right is not one-sided. If a citizen produces a fact on
infringement of his rights, he must realize that the rights of others,
too, are protected by Constitution, norms and clauses. A system that
must solve problems is introduced.
Q: Which are those problems?
A: We say that one person must not receive a pension from 4 places
and one family must not draw pension from 5. Through applying the
system of social cards we provide the right of others to receive
pensions and grants. If a person receives a pension from many places,
naturally, he deprives others of the chance to enjoy pensions. So,
we solve the problem by applying the system. Some people say they
don’t want to lose the chance to draw grants from a few places. We
oppose it because others needy must get it, too. If someone refuses
to pay taxes, a mechanism is applied to make him pay and he pays. So,
the mechanism for social cards is being introduced to control problems.