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"Public Service Law" Amendments Worry MP's
Grisha Balasanyan
hetq
12:26, May 12, 2011
A debate on amendments to the RA `Law Regarding Public Serice' resumed
today in the National Assembly at which only 13 MP's were present.
What follows is a summary of what of few of those MP's had to say.
Prosperous Party MP Samvel Balasanyan, who also serves as the Deputy
President of the National Assembly, expressed his concern that the
draft legislation would prevent civil servants and other top officials
from using their office to promote the interests of their political
parties and civic organizations, including religious groupings.
Justice Minister Hrayr Tovmasyan stated that the law wouldn't restrict
the rights of MP's but that they wouldn't be able to their position to
advance a certain political party's interests.
MP Balasanyan retorted, `How can I, a member of the Prosperous Party
not mention the party's name or defend its policies. This parliament
is a political structure, no?'
It could be that MP Balasanyan is concerned that he will meet the same
fate of his predecessor, Arevik Petrosyan, who was removed from the
post by Gagik Tsarukyan, the party's leader, for being too `passive'
in promoting the party. To which the justice minister responded, `That
will not be prohibited when giving an address; feel free.'
Heghineh Bisharyan, who heads the Rule of Law parliamentary
delegation, minced no words declaring that the draft legislation was
`unjust'.
The MP focused on that part of the draft concerning gifts. It appears
that the new law will require MP's to declare, as soon as possible, if
they receive gifts amounting to more than 50,000 AMD from the same
person within a calendar year or if the total gifts received exceed
250,000 AMD.
MP Bisharyan also complained about the fact that she would have to
submit an income declaration for her children since they are adults.
She told Hetq that the gifts' clause would never work in practice
since there were 131 MP's in the parliament and that such transactions
could never be monitored.
`How will they ever know who visited which MP's office and what gifts
were exchanged? Do they plan on installing cameras in each office?'
From: Baghdasarian
Grisha Balasanyan
hetq
12:26, May 12, 2011
A debate on amendments to the RA `Law Regarding Public Serice' resumed
today in the National Assembly at which only 13 MP's were present.
What follows is a summary of what of few of those MP's had to say.
Prosperous Party MP Samvel Balasanyan, who also serves as the Deputy
President of the National Assembly, expressed his concern that the
draft legislation would prevent civil servants and other top officials
from using their office to promote the interests of their political
parties and civic organizations, including religious groupings.
Justice Minister Hrayr Tovmasyan stated that the law wouldn't restrict
the rights of MP's but that they wouldn't be able to their position to
advance a certain political party's interests.
MP Balasanyan retorted, `How can I, a member of the Prosperous Party
not mention the party's name or defend its policies. This parliament
is a political structure, no?'
It could be that MP Balasanyan is concerned that he will meet the same
fate of his predecessor, Arevik Petrosyan, who was removed from the
post by Gagik Tsarukyan, the party's leader, for being too `passive'
in promoting the party. To which the justice minister responded, `That
will not be prohibited when giving an address; feel free.'
Heghineh Bisharyan, who heads the Rule of Law parliamentary
delegation, minced no words declaring that the draft legislation was
`unjust'.
The MP focused on that part of the draft concerning gifts. It appears
that the new law will require MP's to declare, as soon as possible, if
they receive gifts amounting to more than 50,000 AMD from the same
person within a calendar year or if the total gifts received exceed
250,000 AMD.
MP Bisharyan also complained about the fact that she would have to
submit an income declaration for her children since they are adults.
She told Hetq that the gifts' clause would never work in practice
since there were 131 MP's in the parliament and that such transactions
could never be monitored.
`How will they ever know who visited which MP's office and what gifts
were exchanged? Do they plan on installing cameras in each office?'
From: Baghdasarian