Oskanyan on Sargsyan’s sobering calls
It is a fact that the government has not achieved successes in the last five years. The deputy of Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) Vartan Oskanyan expressed this opinion. He wrote on his Facebook Page that there are shortcomings not only in state procurement sector, but in other spheres as well.
"It is only the prime minister who can answer the question: whether he was unable to work, or others prevented him from working. However, regardless of the answer, in Armenia there are such systemic deficiencies that are bound to have a negative impact on the country's economy," he noted.
According to him, in the past 20 years some steps have been taken in the field of democracy and free economy in the country. "But in parallel with that, the development and fusion of authorities' and business' relations and interests have taken place, forming the political and economic elite, which has become the main obstacle to continued political and economic reforms in Armenia. A handful of people who have political and economic levers to effect reforms in the country are not interested at all in these reforms because such changes run counter to their interests".
In Armenia democracy and the free-market economy are at the dangerous point because both have developed to such an extent that theoretically, on can say that we are a democratic country and have a free economy, but practically, we have not made such progress that this may seem convincing to our society and the international community," Vartan Oskanyan wrote. "In other words, the danger is that we can constantly pretend that we are a democratic state and that we have a free economy, but it is not the case in reality. Pretending to have democracy and a free economy is more harmful for the state's development than their absence when the rules of the game are more clear-cut".
«There is no alternative to democracy and free economy in Armenia. This presupposes unconditional protection of the fundamental principles of democracy, justice, tolerance, and freedom of speech. In economic sphere: uncondiotional protection of the fundamental principles of a free market, equal opportunities, free competition, and inviolability of property.
Making sobering calls to the «political relatives» is not enough to change the situation. It will be possible to bring about real changes in the country when a politucal system will form through free and fair elections, under which the ministers will have a responsibility to the people," Oskanyan wrote.
