Lragir, Armenia
Dec 7 2007
ARF DASHNAKTSUTYUN THINKS GOVERNMENT SHOULD ADMIT FAILURE OF STRATEGY
`For us, anti-corruption strategy is primary. By the way, the
government has decided to draft a new strategy. It turned out that
the previous anti-corruption strategy was not effective, and the
mechanisms of implementing the strategy were not created at all,’
stated the leader of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun faction Hrair Karapetyan
during the parliamentary briefings on December 7. He once again
underlined the approach of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun that it is
necessary to set up one anti-corruption body. `No such body was set
up. Several bodies were set up, and how effective they are will be
seen in future, especially considering that according to the
amendments to the Constitution, an independent supervisory and
control agency was set up which is not part of the National Assembly.
We are hopeful that this agency will have a dramatic role in
struggling corruption. But in order to struggle corruption it is
necessary to have political will, first of all forces are necessary
which will struggle against this phenomenon, and will make everyone
equal before the law, independent from the position they hold,’ Hrair
Karapetyan says.
Unlike his opinion on the first anti-corruption strategy that it did
not fulfill its role, the government states the new strategy is
worked out not because the first was not effective but because it
fulfilled its role, and now a new strategy is needed. However, Hrair
Karapetyan holds on to his opinion. `If you look through the first
strategy, you will see that the previous includes far-reaching goals.
I do not think these goals were achieved, therefore it is necessary
to work out a new strategy. I think it is necessary to admit that the
strategy was incomplete, and did not include all the approaches which
should be adopted today to battle corruption,’ Hrair Karapetyan says.