CORRUPTION IS POLITICAL AMONG US

Lragir.am
23/11/09

Interview with the Executive Director of the Transparency International
anti-corruption centre Varuzhan Hoktanyan

According to the Transparency International indexes, Armenia shares
the 120-125 positions in the world among the most corrupt countries,
while last year it was the 109-114. In fact, Armenia registered a
regression by 11 points. In your opinion, what determines Armenia’s
constant regressions?

If we approach the question from the scientific point of view, it is a
little earlier to say that Armenia registered a regression. The indexes
of corruption in Armenia are 2, 7 while last year it was 2, 9, and in
other words 0, 2 percent of regression. In general, only in case of 0,
3 percent of difference we can speak about regression. But there is a
worrying circumstance which is that last year Armenia registered 0,
1 percent of regression and if the situation keeps moving like this
we may say that we will have growth of corruption. It is a little
earlier to speak but there is nothing to be happy for because starting
from2003, no progress was registered. The general index of perception
is 3 in Armenia, if it was 8, I would not worry because we would be
one of the less corrupt countries of the world.

What ways, methods, does our country have to undertake to fight
against corruption? What is to be done? Our government seems to have
repeatedly aroused this issue. They reveal corrupt professors, etc…

The experience shows that such kind of struggle against corruption is
not effective though we cannot say it does not help at all. This year,
progress was registered in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia. None
of these countries is democratic, but the progress was registered
thanks to the struggle against minor corruption.

In our country, like in the above-mentioned countries, the primary is
the political corruption. There is a misunderstanding that corruption
is not taking bribes. Bribe taking is only one type of it. Corruption
is the misuse of official positions.

Since corruption has a system character, the fight against it must have
the same character too. This means that by taking several professors
you cannot solve the issue. You must understand the reasons of the
corruption. In the end, the struggle against it will not be effective
if there is no public support.

What type of struggle against corruption must there be?

The struggle will be serious only if there is political will. For
example, in Poland, in 1995 elections were held and the Polish
president Valensa who was a brilliant leader and fighter against
communism was defeated because his economic policy did not satisfy
people. In the same year, in Armenia there were held elections
accompanied by bribes, violence, and expressions of political
corruption. The cornerstone of political corruption among us was put
in 1995.

In the future, these phenomena deepened especially in 1998 after the
change of government and we see that elections do not fulfill their
function. One of the problems is the link of political and economic
leaderships of the country in which result we had a very bad result
from the point of the country’s occupation. In other words, country’s
public policy, tax, customs and so on is decided by the interests of
a group of oligarchs. This is also corruption.

In your opinion, is the question on the struggle against the corruption
primary within the oppositional and governmental circles?

By the way, we have studied the pre-electoral programs of the parties
running for 2007 parliamentary elections. No one dwells on the
corruption maybe because it is not a primary issue in their agendas.

During 2007-2008 elections, corruption did not become a primary
one either because there is no general perception in Armenia that
after all, rigged election is also corruption. Our society is very
demoralized. Considering this fact, as well as the tolerance our
society shows towards corruption, I would not blame the opposition
that it does not consider this issue a primary one but I have to say
to the political figures that if they bring up this issue, people
will follow them. I cannot say that the opposition loses when not
paying attention to the corruption issues.