THE COST OF STRUGGLE AGAINST CORRUPTION

Lragir.am
11 May 06

Several businessmen members of parliament, members of the Orinats
Yerkir faction of the National Assembly submitted applications
on seceding from this political party. This step followed the
parliamentary debates on the government policy on privatization.

Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan, the leader of the Orinats Yerkir,
criticized the privatization policy. Then the famous interview of
Arthur Baghdasaryan with the German newspaper Frankfurt Algemeine
followed, in which he expressed his standpoint on the internal and
external policies of Armenia.

These two events stirred up the political life of Armenia. Incessant
discussions involving politicians and press thought resembled a
performance of a rather unskilled band directed by a conductor, tending
to make biased propagandist stresses. Naturally, the status quo that
has recently formed in Armenia and its outstanding representatives
would not tolerate any political standpoint that could appear as
a threat against the status quo, which suggests preventing even
the smallest sparks of change. The opinion of status quo agents is
approximately the following: we do not need changes, let it remain
the way it is. Besides, they announce that they have nothing to do
with what is going on these days, in particular the resignation of
the businessmen members of parliament and the attempts at dissolving
the Orinats Yerkir faction.

The recent “outflow” of businessmen is rather typical and displays
the peculiarities of the political and economic system in Armenia. It
is hard to tell if these businessmen joined the Orinats Yerkir out
of an ideological urge and left the Orinats Yerkir again out of an
ideological compulsion. Their behavior is clear: they fear losing
their property and business if their party appears in a difficult
state. This shows that in a system that Armenia has business and
property is not protected, while the businessmen in the parliament
could have tried to create a new environment where they would not
have to be driven by an “ideological compulsion.”

This is something to be handled by politicians as well, to establish
healthy and free competition in economy. This is something that the
speaker of the National Assembly has been trying to do, not absolutely,
of course. What has taken up supposes reduction of black economy,
corruption, a normal policy on privatization, etc. Only in this
case would business be protected. On the other hand, the personal
interests and the property, mostly obtained illegally and unfairly,
of the status quo agents is endangered.

It is interesting to know, however, what the status quo and
particularly the businessman rely on? The same status quo is capable
of devouring its children, more exactly, it regularly devours its
children, for every now and then new lackeys emerge who offer a better
and higher-level service to the system and in return they must get
a share from the property. And Armenia is too small and nothing is
left to share. Hence, this sharing will be carried out at the expense
of the former “followers of the ideology.” And this will last until
people come to realize that the meaning of life is living dignifiedly.

For the standpoint of some mass media, the publications on
the developments related with the Orinats Yerkir Party confirm,
unfortunately, the assessments of the local and international experts
that the clan mechanisms have been established in this sphere, with
press turning an instrument of the system. What a pity!