RULING PARTY MP SAYS CORRUPTION ONE OF "MANY" PROBLEMS IN AZERBAIJAN
Yeni Musavat, Baku
11 Jul 07 p 7
A senior figure of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, MP Malahat
Hasanova, has said that "Azerbaijan has many problems including
bribery, corruption, laziness, and bureaucracy". Speaking to
the opposition daily Yeni Musavat, Hasanova did not rule out the
possibility of jailed journalists being pardoned. She also hailed
recent visits by a group of Azerbaijani intellectuals to Nagornyy
Karabakh and Armenia. The following is an excerpt from an interview
with MP Malahat Hasanova in Yeni Musavat newspaper on 11 July headlined
"’Ali Insanov should serve his punishment’" and subheaded "A member
of the political board of the NAP, Malahat Hasanova: There is bribery,
corruption, and bureaucracy in Azerbaijan. The court verdict on Huseyn
Abdullayev was fair"; subheadings have been inserted editorially:
Functionaries of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party [NAP], including
those who until recently did not see problems in being interviewed
by our paper, have now imposed an unofficial embargo against Yeni
Musavat newspaper. In light of this, we were not fully sure that our
conversation with MP Malahat Hasanova, member of the political board
of the NAP, will take place.
Nevertheless, the member of parliament lived up to her promise given
during the spring session of the Milli Maclis [parliament] and finally
honoured her promise to grant an interview to our paper. Anyway,
we would like to believe that "the ice is broken" and from now on
NAP representatives will review their attitudes towards our paper.
No journalist appealed for pardoning
First, we asked Malahat xanim [mode of address], who is a member of
the State Pardoning Commission [under the president], whether or not
our jailed colleagues will be pardoned.
[Hasanova] No journalist has personally appealed to me. Nevertheless,
there is a copious amount of appeals from other inmates. Every
appeal is thoroughly scrutinized. Nowadays there are reports on
hunger strikers at the Qobustan prison. I have familiarized myself
with some of their cases. They committed horrible crimes. However,
the opposition media has politicized lifers’ cases.
[Correspondent] [The head of the public and political department of
the presidential administration] Ali Hasanov has said that jailed
journalists could be pardoned. Generally speaking, has the commission
held a sitting and is a pardon possible in the near future? To what
extent is it possible for the journalists to be released ahead of
National Press Day [22 July]?
[Hasanova] The pardoning commission functions uninterruptedly and
deals with any appeals effectively. However, the president has the
power of pardoning.
The pardoning commission sticks to unrestricted humanity. Thousands
of prisoners have been pardoned in the past few years. I believe that
any appeal for pardoning irrespective of it being from a journalist
or any other criminal could be satisfied in conformity with the
commission’s statute.
[Passage omitted: Hasanova plans to have a rest in Agstafa with
her mother]
Hails visits to Karabakh and Armenia
[Correspondent] The visits by Azerbaijani intellectuals to Nagornyy
Karabakh and Yerevan received varying reactions. There are reports
that a visit by parliamentarians is also in the pipeline. Have you
been offered such a visit?
[Hasanova] I have not been offered such a visit. I completely support
the president’s policy. At the same time, I fully back the president’s
Karabakh policy. On the other hand, we are doomed to be neighbours
with Armenia. The saying goes "change your place of residence if your
neighbour is bad".
However, neither we, nor Armenians will go anywhere. I am sure that we
shall resolve this problem either by peace or war. Even after this, we
shall remain neighbours. From this vantage point, I do no see anything
calamitous and wrong in the visit by our intellectuals to Susa. The
visit by our intellectuals to Karabakh has once again proven that it
is our soil. I do not second claims that this visit will contribute
to the recognition of the separatist regime. I could say I am the US
Congress speaker. However, naturally, no-one will believe this. True,
we have suffered huge losses in this conflict. But once the problem
is resolved, Armenians have to live there too.
[passage omitted: Hasanova says people should be thinking about
resolving the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict all the time]
Bribery, corruption, laziness, bureaucracy
[Correspondent] Is it possible that [President] Ilham Aliyev will
sign defeatist peace under international pressure?
[Hasanova] No, I do not think so. I believe that Mr President and the
chairman of my party will never do this. He withstands all possible
pressure and is able to resist it. The Karabakh problem will soon be
resolved owing to his principled policy. Because nowadays everything is
based on economic interests. Azerbaijan is developing and thriving…
[Passage omitted: The Azerbaijani Oil Fund received an international
award]
[Correspondent] What is your attitude towards the fact that Ilham
Aliyev’s name is mentioned along with dictators and is on a blacklist?
[Hasanova] Undoubtedly, I want to see Azerbaijan as the most
beautiful country in the world. We thank God for granting us an
independent state. We also are fond of our president. Nevertheless,
Azerbaijan has many problems including bribery, corruption, laziness,
and bureaucracy. At the same time, Azerbaijan comes from another
system. There are problems which require people’s involvement for their
resolution and public control should be strict and effective. People
should also change their way of thinking.
[Correspondent] Maybe bureaucrats hinder development more than
ordinary people?
[Hasanova] To a certain extent, I do share your view. Part of our
generation which is under the influence of the Soviet totalitarian
regime cannot adapt to current processes. At one time [former Turkish
President] Turgut Ozal replaced bureaucrats with those bright young
men who studied abroad.
[Correspondent] Why does Ilham Aliyev not want to get rid of officials
who have been in office for over 10 years?
[Hasanova] This cannot be done once and for all… Time resolves
some issues. We have chosen an evolutionary way and are far away
from revolutionary processes. God willing, I believe everything will
be fine.
[Passage omitted: Hasanova justifies former health minister’s arrest
and blames media for defending him]
[Correspondent] To what extent is it convincing that NAP members
amount to 400,000 people?
[Hasanova] I am against the total politicization of our society. About
600 people have appealed for party membership since I was elected
chairman of the Nasimi branch of the NAP. Here is a list, if you wish,
you can go and ask each of them.
[Passage omitted: Hasanova slams a parliamentary brawl between two
members of parliament]
[ellipsis as published throughout]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
