AT EXPENSE OF TAXPAYERS, AGAINST TAXPAYERS

Haykakan Zhamanak
Nov 7 2008
Armenia

At least two absurd decisions were passed at the cabinet meeting
yesterday [6 November], which are interconnected, if one looks deep
into them. One decision is that the cabinet decided to pay 30,000 euros
to A1+ from its reserve fund, under the other decision the cabinet is
setting up a centre for public relations. Why are these decisions –
that look innocent at first sight – absurd?

It is a fact that A1+ should get its 30,000 euros under a European
Court ruling. But why should that money be paid from the government’s
reserve fund, which is part of the state budget? What does this mean?

A group of criminals, or as they were called quite appropriately,
lickspittles, of the agency called National Television and Radio
Commission, under their ringleader Grigor Amalyan, acting on
instructions from the leaders of the bandit regime, [former Armenian
President] Robert Kocharyan and [incumbent Armenian President] Serzh
Sargsyan, ordered illegally that A1+ be taken off the air. The European
Court proved that this had been done illegally and ruled that A1+
should be paid 30,000 euros for that wrongdoing. The cabinet passed
the decision that the money should be paid from the government’s
reserve fund.

If this is not absurd, then what is it? Why should taxpayers pay
for the crime committed by several Amalyans, especially that they
are not behind the bars, they are not being fired, but instead, they
keep giving interviews self-confidently. Those 30,000 euros should be
paid from the pockets of Grigor Amalyan, Shamiram Aghabekyan and the
other criminal who had voted to take A1+ off the air. If they do not
have enough money, they should be auctioned: being sold and becoming
slaves is their common way of existence. But there can hardly be any
buyers, the goods offered are of very low quality.

The other decision of the cabinet – the setting up of the centre
for public relations – is absurd because it is to become the KGB for
media outlets. Officially, the functions of this agency are formulated
in other words, but in reality, all the information about the media
outlets will be centralized, systematized and processed there. After
that, decisions will be made on how to work against an outlet or a
journalist, and how the rulers’ propaganda will be carried out.

This idea had been circulating in the ruling circles for years. This
idea is being implemented partially even now, and the presidential
palace is in charge of it. Now it is getting an official shape,
and officially, the president’s staff has been put in charge of the
centre’s management, and in addition, this centre will be funded from
the state budget.

But to tell the truth, this cannot have a serious impact. The thing is
that those who were engaged in this and who are to continue to do so
are very untalented. The experience of the past years indicated that by
working against the unwanted outlets, keeping the entire TV programming
under control, campaigning day and night, the regime cannot convince
people that, for example, Serzh Sargsyan is an angel. Simply, it is sad
that this agency will be funded at the expense of the taxpayers, too.