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Naira Hayrumyan
POLITICIANS WHO AREN'T AFRAID OF LOSING THEIR HONOR
http://www.lragir.am/index.php/eng/0/comments/view/28686
Monday, 21 January 2013, 16:12
The presidential candidate Andrias Ghukasyan has gone on hunger
strike in front of the RA National Academy of Sciences. His demand
is dismissal of registration of Serzh Sargsyan's nomination by the RPA.
Andrias Ghukasyan blames the Republicans of fictitious elections
and power abuse. He has put forth accusations relating to political
activity. However, since political activities are not penalized in
most countries, including Armenia, Andrias Ghukasyan had to resort
to hunger strike. In Armenia political activities are beyond the
legislative framework, and politicians have done everything to exclude
mechanisms of recall, punishment of politicians who fail their duties
or harm the society through their activities. The society cannot sue
a prime minister who approves tax amendments leaving 6000 accountants
jobless. The society cannot sue the members of parliament who fail to
represent their will. In democratic countries political responsibility
is expressed during elections when the society simply does not elect
the party which failed to fulfill its hopes. Voters in Armenia are
deprived of this opportunity - the electoral mechanisms have been
usurped by the ruling party, and thereby political responsibility
is zero. Political responsibility lacks a legal component. A person
may be judged for stealing a chicken but the Central Bank will not be
judged for keeping the rate of the dollar low, thereby robbing people
of millions of dollars. Falsification of elections is penalized, and
even a single case of vote buying will cast doubt on the political
victory of one party or another. One day this responsibility will
come, as it came to Lance Armstrong, the cyclist. The ruling party is
also using doping, but unlike Armstrong the RPA admits to it and does
not deny vote buying. After the parliamentary election they admitted
the violations but claimed those mostly did not affect the election
return. Hence, the opposition parties must not recognize the results
of the election. Ahead of the parliamentary election experts advised
opposition forces to dispute the participation of the RPA in the
election. After the election at which the RPA dealt mandates to its
liking the opposition parties did only several incoherent attempts to
blame the ruling parties but as a result they accepted the mandates
and calmed down. Although, there was every reason to hold the RPA
responsible. Afterwards, it was obvious that the opposition (in a
democratic system it controls legality of actions of the majority)
is reluctant to dispute the actions of the government. All Andrias
Ghukasyan can do is to go on a hunger strike. A lot of people do not
understand the meaning of this initiative. Some people understand
and support but still they think that a nice person should not waste
time on a hunger strike which is doomed. This is not so. Andrias
Ghukasyan has already succeeded pushing the RPA to the legal field,
speaking about the necessity of mechanisms of legal responsibility
of politicians which were believed to have immunity so far. This
process will lead to implications. And they would have been in place
if politicians in our country had political honor. Unfortunately,
our politicians are not afraid of losing their reputation and honor.
Something else is more important for them.
From: A. Papazian
POLITICIANS WHO AREN'T AFRAID OF LOSING THEIR HONOR
http://www.lragir.am/index.php/eng/0/comments/view/28686
Monday, 21 January 2013, 16:12
The presidential candidate Andrias Ghukasyan has gone on hunger
strike in front of the RA National Academy of Sciences. His demand
is dismissal of registration of Serzh Sargsyan's nomination by the RPA.
Andrias Ghukasyan blames the Republicans of fictitious elections
and power abuse. He has put forth accusations relating to political
activity. However, since political activities are not penalized in
most countries, including Armenia, Andrias Ghukasyan had to resort
to hunger strike. In Armenia political activities are beyond the
legislative framework, and politicians have done everything to exclude
mechanisms of recall, punishment of politicians who fail their duties
or harm the society through their activities. The society cannot sue
a prime minister who approves tax amendments leaving 6000 accountants
jobless. The society cannot sue the members of parliament who fail to
represent their will. In democratic countries political responsibility
is expressed during elections when the society simply does not elect
the party which failed to fulfill its hopes. Voters in Armenia are
deprived of this opportunity - the electoral mechanisms have been
usurped by the ruling party, and thereby political responsibility
is zero. Political responsibility lacks a legal component. A person
may be judged for stealing a chicken but the Central Bank will not be
judged for keeping the rate of the dollar low, thereby robbing people
of millions of dollars. Falsification of elections is penalized, and
even a single case of vote buying will cast doubt on the political
victory of one party or another. One day this responsibility will
come, as it came to Lance Armstrong, the cyclist. The ruling party is
also using doping, but unlike Armstrong the RPA admits to it and does
not deny vote buying. After the parliamentary election they admitted
the violations but claimed those mostly did not affect the election
return. Hence, the opposition parties must not recognize the results
of the election. Ahead of the parliamentary election experts advised
opposition forces to dispute the participation of the RPA in the
election. After the election at which the RPA dealt mandates to its
liking the opposition parties did only several incoherent attempts to
blame the ruling parties but as a result they accepted the mandates
and calmed down. Although, there was every reason to hold the RPA
responsible. Afterwards, it was obvious that the opposition (in a
democratic system it controls legality of actions of the majority)
is reluctant to dispute the actions of the government. All Andrias
Ghukasyan can do is to go on a hunger strike. A lot of people do not
understand the meaning of this initiative. Some people understand
and support but still they think that a nice person should not waste
time on a hunger strike which is doomed. This is not so. Andrias
Ghukasyan has already succeeded pushing the RPA to the legal field,
speaking about the necessity of mechanisms of legal responsibility
of politicians which were believed to have immunity so far. This
process will lead to implications. And they would have been in place
if politicians in our country had political honor. Unfortunately,
our politicians are not afraid of losing their reputation and honor.
Something else is more important for them.
From: A. Papazian