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A Member of the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) Assures That They Are
Not With the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) in Spirit and Haven't
Been Even in the Coalition - Video
April 26 2013
`The Prosperous Armenia Party asks what Yerevan this is, what is going
on in Yerevan, why there is lawlessness in our country. However, they
voted for all the decisions as one man, along with the RPA. And now
they are surprised,' www.aravot.am talked with Gurgen Gasparyan, a
member of the PAP and a member of the Yerevan City Council, on this
criticism of the Hello Yerevan Coalition today. He assured that `the
PAP voted against many issues in the Yerevan City Council, abstained
from voting on many issues, raised many issues. The city council's
rules of procedure, according to which the city council functions
these days was written by us. The main discussions took place in
commissions, where there were heated discussions. Many issues are not
put on the agenda, and the residents are not aware of them. They are
put forward in a commission. As to the issues, which we voted in favor
of, I am ready to take responsibility for each question voted in favor
of. There is official information; it is not just according to me.' In
response to our question what prevented the PAP from declaring itself
opposition, if they struggled against the government, he said: `We are
an alternative force. I want to repeat that we are always with the
people. What does it matter what we declare ourselves or how. It is
obvious and visible. It is visible that we are with the people, isn't
it? The Yerevan City Council stood by the people also when the booths
were being dismantled. When they wanted to dismantle 243 booths, we
didn't allow them. And dismantlement of booths was stopped after that
completely.' In response to our question why the PAP hadn't been with
the people when the people had been in Freedom Square after the
presidential election, he said: `The PAP is always with the people.
Members of our parliamentary group visited Raffi Hovhannisyan; who
says that they were not with the people?' In response to our
observation that it was not about the visit during the hunger strike,
there had been no representative of the PAP in Freedom Square when
people had gathered there to protest, Gurgen Gasparyan said: `Now, did
a representative of the PAP have to be there? If I say we are with the
people, we are with the people.' In response to our question how we
should realize that they were with the people, Mr. Gasparyan urged us
to ask their party spokespersons that question, and they would answer.
We asked the member of the city council to answer on his own behalf,
why he for one hadn't been in Freedom Square, say, on April 9. He
answered the question with a question: `What on April 9? Should we go
and be there? We participated. Perhaps we didn't participate with our
presence, but we participated with our actions. Let me remind that it
was the president's inauguration day, at which we weren't present.' As
to the fact that several members of the PAP were nonetheless at that
inauguration, the PAP member said: `There were people present, but it
doesn't mean that the whole party was for all that and was present.'
We asked to clarify whether the PAP members who had gone to Serzh
Sargsyan's swearing-in had gone on their own initiative, he said: `You
can say so, yes. I think there was no party decision on that.' We also
inquired of the PAP representative whether there were guarantees that
if I, as a voter, cast my vote for the PAP, they wouldn't sell the
seats to the RPA, once they got them. He replied: `I am talking about
the city council of the past 4 years, which has done work and hasn't
sold any seats. Isn't it a result when booth owners do their business
these days; we stood up for them and didn't allow? Or the idea of
minimarkets or cigarettes and spirits or property tax privileges, I
can enumerate many things.' As for our question why they were not
distinguished from the government, Gurgen Gasparyan didn't know the
answer; he urged us to address that question to those who didn't
distinguish. We also inquired whether they had broken away from the
RPA in spirit after they hadn't formed a coalition with the RPA. He
replied: `We hadn't been with them in spirit anyway. We have always
had our opinion. During the coalition when the small and medium
enterprises act was discussed, our members voted against it. What does
it matter whether we are in the coalition or not? We don't support
something that is against the people. We are with the people.'
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
Read more at: http://en.aravot.am/2013/04/26/153952/
© 1998 - 2013 Aravot - News from Armenia
From: A. Papazian
Not With the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) in Spirit and Haven't
Been Even in the Coalition - Video
April 26 2013
`The Prosperous Armenia Party asks what Yerevan this is, what is going
on in Yerevan, why there is lawlessness in our country. However, they
voted for all the decisions as one man, along with the RPA. And now
they are surprised,' www.aravot.am talked with Gurgen Gasparyan, a
member of the PAP and a member of the Yerevan City Council, on this
criticism of the Hello Yerevan Coalition today. He assured that `the
PAP voted against many issues in the Yerevan City Council, abstained
from voting on many issues, raised many issues. The city council's
rules of procedure, according to which the city council functions
these days was written by us. The main discussions took place in
commissions, where there were heated discussions. Many issues are not
put on the agenda, and the residents are not aware of them. They are
put forward in a commission. As to the issues, which we voted in favor
of, I am ready to take responsibility for each question voted in favor
of. There is official information; it is not just according to me.' In
response to our question what prevented the PAP from declaring itself
opposition, if they struggled against the government, he said: `We are
an alternative force. I want to repeat that we are always with the
people. What does it matter what we declare ourselves or how. It is
obvious and visible. It is visible that we are with the people, isn't
it? The Yerevan City Council stood by the people also when the booths
were being dismantled. When they wanted to dismantle 243 booths, we
didn't allow them. And dismantlement of booths was stopped after that
completely.' In response to our question why the PAP hadn't been with
the people when the people had been in Freedom Square after the
presidential election, he said: `The PAP is always with the people.
Members of our parliamentary group visited Raffi Hovhannisyan; who
says that they were not with the people?' In response to our
observation that it was not about the visit during the hunger strike,
there had been no representative of the PAP in Freedom Square when
people had gathered there to protest, Gurgen Gasparyan said: `Now, did
a representative of the PAP have to be there? If I say we are with the
people, we are with the people.' In response to our question how we
should realize that they were with the people, Mr. Gasparyan urged us
to ask their party spokespersons that question, and they would answer.
We asked the member of the city council to answer on his own behalf,
why he for one hadn't been in Freedom Square, say, on April 9. He
answered the question with a question: `What on April 9? Should we go
and be there? We participated. Perhaps we didn't participate with our
presence, but we participated with our actions. Let me remind that it
was the president's inauguration day, at which we weren't present.' As
to the fact that several members of the PAP were nonetheless at that
inauguration, the PAP member said: `There were people present, but it
doesn't mean that the whole party was for all that and was present.'
We asked to clarify whether the PAP members who had gone to Serzh
Sargsyan's swearing-in had gone on their own initiative, he said: `You
can say so, yes. I think there was no party decision on that.' We also
inquired of the PAP representative whether there were guarantees that
if I, as a voter, cast my vote for the PAP, they wouldn't sell the
seats to the RPA, once they got them. He replied: `I am talking about
the city council of the past 4 years, which has done work and hasn't
sold any seats. Isn't it a result when booth owners do their business
these days; we stood up for them and didn't allow? Or the idea of
minimarkets or cigarettes and spirits or property tax privileges, I
can enumerate many things.' As for our question why they were not
distinguished from the government, Gurgen Gasparyan didn't know the
answer; he urged us to address that question to those who didn't
distinguish. We also inquired whether they had broken away from the
RPA in spirit after they hadn't formed a coalition with the RPA. He
replied: `We hadn't been with them in spirit anyway. We have always
had our opinion. During the coalition when the small and medium
enterprises act was discussed, our members voted against it. What does
it matter whether we are in the coalition or not? We don't support
something that is against the people. We are with the people.'
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
Read more at: http://en.aravot.am/2013/04/26/153952/
© 1998 - 2013 Aravot - News from Armenia
From: A. Papazian