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Small Fish Show
JAMES HAKOBYAN
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/comments23098.html
Published: 12:15:35 - 26/08/2011
One of them will inevitably destroy
The deputy chief of Sevan garrison of the Military Police has been
detained. Here is another regular step to fight corruption, which is
commendable indeed. But, again, a so-called small fish has been
arrested while the `sharks', as the press calls them, are swimming at
large.
It would be absurd to say that there are no `sharks' and those engaged
in corruption are small fishes. It would be absurd to say that the law
enforcement bodies are unable to get the `sharks'. The problem is that
they do not want to or do not have a political order to prosecute
them. Another problem is that the Armenian law-enforcement bodies are
the den of most `sharks', and consequently they cannot be ahead of
other corruption fighters.
In this sense, everything eventually arrives at the will of the
government. The government itself distorts notions in addressing to
similar evaluations. Whenever the press echoes `sharks', the
government notes that the press is thereby trying to clear small fish
of responsibility.
It's not true, of course. No one says the behavior of medium and
lower-ranking government officials should be ignored while
higher-ranking corruption should be revealed. The problem is that in
the past three years the government has revealed over thirty medium
and minor cases of corruption without prosecution of at least on big
case. The feeling is that the government itself is trying to cover up
major cases.
The press regularly brings up the issue of higher-ranking corruption,
comparing it to fish which starts rotting from the head. Of course, it
is possible to dream of an impeccable top government of crystal purity
in a country where the medium and lower-ranking officials are bogged
in corruption.
Therefore, lack of prosecution and punishment of higher-ranking
corruption is evidence that either the government is unable to carry
out effective fight on corruption, or it just has no desire and
prefers imitation and propaganda.
Prosecution of higher-ranking corruption is not an end in itself.
Moreover, it could be helpful to propaganda and political tricks. In
this sense, a consistent and principled approach is necessary. Can the
government display such qualities? Maybe, in technical terms, it can,
but in fact, the government of Armenia is based on corruption, and
fight on corruption means destruction of the system itself. If one is
not ready for this step, one cannot be ready to eliminate corruption
in the country, no matter how many cases are revealed at the
lower-ranking and medium levels.
And if the system is not destroyed, the state is. It's been a long
time Armenia faced this dilemma.
JAMES HAKOBYAN
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/comments23098.html
Published: 12:15:35 - 26/08/2011
One of them will inevitably destroy
The deputy chief of Sevan garrison of the Military Police has been
detained. Here is another regular step to fight corruption, which is
commendable indeed. But, again, a so-called small fish has been
arrested while the `sharks', as the press calls them, are swimming at
large.
It would be absurd to say that there are no `sharks' and those engaged
in corruption are small fishes. It would be absurd to say that the law
enforcement bodies are unable to get the `sharks'. The problem is that
they do not want to or do not have a political order to prosecute
them. Another problem is that the Armenian law-enforcement bodies are
the den of most `sharks', and consequently they cannot be ahead of
other corruption fighters.
In this sense, everything eventually arrives at the will of the
government. The government itself distorts notions in addressing to
similar evaluations. Whenever the press echoes `sharks', the
government notes that the press is thereby trying to clear small fish
of responsibility.
It's not true, of course. No one says the behavior of medium and
lower-ranking government officials should be ignored while
higher-ranking corruption should be revealed. The problem is that in
the past three years the government has revealed over thirty medium
and minor cases of corruption without prosecution of at least on big
case. The feeling is that the government itself is trying to cover up
major cases.
The press regularly brings up the issue of higher-ranking corruption,
comparing it to fish which starts rotting from the head. Of course, it
is possible to dream of an impeccable top government of crystal purity
in a country where the medium and lower-ranking officials are bogged
in corruption.
Therefore, lack of prosecution and punishment of higher-ranking
corruption is evidence that either the government is unable to carry
out effective fight on corruption, or it just has no desire and
prefers imitation and propaganda.
Prosecution of higher-ranking corruption is not an end in itself.
Moreover, it could be helpful to propaganda and political tricks. In
this sense, a consistent and principled approach is necessary. Can the
government display such qualities? Maybe, in technical terms, it can,
but in fact, the government of Armenia is based on corruption, and
fight on corruption means destruction of the system itself. If one is
not ready for this step, one cannot be ready to eliminate corruption
in the country, no matter how many cases are revealed at the
lower-ranking and medium levels.
And if the system is not destroyed, the state is. It's been a long
time Armenia faced this dilemma.