AN INTERESTING AND PROMISING START
Gevorg Haroutyunyan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on April 17, 2008
Armenia

During the meeting with the journalists, ARTASHES SHAHBAZYAN, Secretary
of the ARFD parliamentary faction, said that at Saturday’s meeting,
Serge Sargsyan and the coalition parties did not finalize the issue of
the staff of the Government, and the negotiations are still under way.

The speaker considered the appointments made by the President
promising and encouraging. "This is an interesting start. The new
President, I think, is fulfilling his promises and making serious and
radical changes in the human resource policy. Without these steps,
is impossible to implement the reform programs promised to the public."

In the estimation of A. Shahbazyan, the appointment of both the
Prime Minister and the two Ministers as well as the fact of removing
some people from their posts give occasion to thinking that our
country’s new leadership, in the person of President Serge Sargsyan
and Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, follow the path of implementing
the pre-election program and keeping promises given during the
speeches. "Certain statements made by the President and the Prime
Minister also awaken hopes and expectations.

In particular, it was clarified that no ignorant and ill-bred people
should be involved in the Government, and the monopolies should be
eliminated. This is a good start which inspires hopes," the ARFD
representative finds.

A. Shahbazyan expressed belief that the demand of dissolving the
National Assembly and holding new parliamentary elections is not
absolutely a public or political must, and it’s not conditioned
by the interests of the people and the state. On this occasion, he
recalled the following well-known anecdote: instead of punishing the
only tractor driver of the village for getting drunk and trampling
on everything, the villagers decided to punish one of the two
electricians. "A similar sophisticated decision was made for finding
a solution to the existing problem, and some people decided that it
was possible to sacrifice the Parliament. The reasons for dissolving
the National Assembly are enshrined in the Constitution.

There is no parliamentary crisis; the cooperation between the
executive and the legislative is not paralyzed, and the National
Assembly’s working schedule is quite overloaded. So, why dissolve
the Parliament? Just because the political force which attracted a
certain mass during the elections was afraid to participate in the
parliamentary elections?"

In response to the question of the correspondent of "Hayots Ashkharh",
the secretary of ARFD faction commented on the part of the article
published in "Novoe Izvestia" periodical, where the author says,
"If you ask me what I am going to do, I will say that I am going
to form a certain public opinion to prevent these authorities from
being recognized."

The MP also considered it obvious that LTP will hereafter act on
our political arena with such qualities. "He decides what problems
to solve.

If he has to somehow regulate his opposition-oriented activity and
rivalry with the authorities, I wouldn’t like him to deepen his
struggle against the authorities to such a degree that may turn
the opposition-oriented activity into a struggle undermining the
foundations of the state. As to a civilized and political struggle,
it is welcome as well as necessary. This is the only way that may
heal our internal political system."