Will government “quit smoking”?
Compared to last year, the level of corruption in Armenia has stayed the same. Among 183 countries, Armenia is the 129th country, as reported by Transparency International.
"The serious structural reforms in, say, economy and the political system in the 1990s weren't guided by in-depth institutional reforms," CEO of Transparency International Armenia Office Varuzhan Hoktanyan said.
Hoktanyan says the government should start the fight against corruption from the elections. According to him, power was seized due to electoral fraud.
Hoktanyan adds that the government has to show political will. "If someone decides and is able to quit smoking, it means he has the will."
According to him, Singapore or Georgia can set an example for the Armenian government. At the same time, he doesn't encourage the government to apply the practice of pinpointing the cases of corruption as it has happened in Singapore and Hong Kong since he is scared of the "phantom" of 1937.
Hoktanyan says the government should start with itself because in all the other cases, the revelation of corruption may serve as political reconciliation.
