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ARMENIAN MP: HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU NEED TO BE HAPPY?
by Alexandr Avanesov
ARMINFO
Thursday, October 24, 18:02
"It is immoral increasing the president's salary by 203% from current
436,000 drams to 1.323 million drams amid extremely heavy social
and economic situation in the country," Nikol Pashinyan, MP from
oppositional Armenian National Congress, said in the parliament,
Thursday.
He said that the salary of Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan and
Parliament Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan will be increased by 318% in 2014 -
from current 383,000 drams to 1.190 mln drams. Meanwhile, he went on,
under government of these persons the poverty level in the country
grew from 27.6% to 35%. He compared the salaries of top officials
with the upcoming growth of the salaries of teachers by some 4.7%.
Considering that the so-called compulsory accumulative pension systems
will be applied in the country starting Jan 1 2014, teachers will feel
no increase in their salaries. Salaries of the disabled persons will
be increased in 2014 as well. They will be receiving 19,600 drams
instead of the current 18,300 drams. A person who spent 30 years of
his life working for the country will be receiving some 30.2 thousand
drams pension. Meanwhile, according to the official statistics,
the minimum consumer basket in Armenia is 32.9 thousand drams.
"It turns out that a person who worked over 30 years is not able to
buy even the most essential foodstuffs," Pashinyan said. He recalled
that 1,146 million people in the country live in poverty looking
forward for the government to settle their problems.
"Meanwhile, the political elite has increased their own salaries.
What is this, if not cynicism amid poverty, migration and
disappointment?" Pashinyan said. "For what services should the salary
of Serzh Sargsyan be increased? Maybe for occupation of Yerevan with
tanks after the incidents of March 1 2008 or for the shame Armenia
felt after his statement on accession to the Customs Union?" Pashinyan
asked.
"Why should the salaries of the prime minister, the ministers,
prosecutors and police officers be increased? Maybe for looking at how
an oligarch destroys a cultural value? Why should parliamentarians
enjoy bigger salaries? None of them has done anything to stop the
people escaping from the country. Why? Probably, it was because of
their low salaries. Now these parliamentarians complain that their
salaries will be equal to the salaries of deputy ministers. All
this is because parliamentarians have become something like a paper-
stainer who make papers into the law every time they are ordered to
do," Pashinyan said and recalled the words of Ostap Bender: "Shura,
how much money do you need to be happy?"
From: Baghdasarian
by Alexandr Avanesov
ARMINFO
Thursday, October 24, 18:02
"It is immoral increasing the president's salary by 203% from current
436,000 drams to 1.323 million drams amid extremely heavy social
and economic situation in the country," Nikol Pashinyan, MP from
oppositional Armenian National Congress, said in the parliament,
Thursday.
He said that the salary of Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan and
Parliament Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan will be increased by 318% in 2014 -
from current 383,000 drams to 1.190 mln drams. Meanwhile, he went on,
under government of these persons the poverty level in the country
grew from 27.6% to 35%. He compared the salaries of top officials
with the upcoming growth of the salaries of teachers by some 4.7%.
Considering that the so-called compulsory accumulative pension systems
will be applied in the country starting Jan 1 2014, teachers will feel
no increase in their salaries. Salaries of the disabled persons will
be increased in 2014 as well. They will be receiving 19,600 drams
instead of the current 18,300 drams. A person who spent 30 years of
his life working for the country will be receiving some 30.2 thousand
drams pension. Meanwhile, according to the official statistics,
the minimum consumer basket in Armenia is 32.9 thousand drams.
"It turns out that a person who worked over 30 years is not able to
buy even the most essential foodstuffs," Pashinyan said. He recalled
that 1,146 million people in the country live in poverty looking
forward for the government to settle their problems.
"Meanwhile, the political elite has increased their own salaries.
What is this, if not cynicism amid poverty, migration and
disappointment?" Pashinyan said. "For what services should the salary
of Serzh Sargsyan be increased? Maybe for occupation of Yerevan with
tanks after the incidents of March 1 2008 or for the shame Armenia
felt after his statement on accession to the Customs Union?" Pashinyan
asked.
"Why should the salaries of the prime minister, the ministers,
prosecutors and police officers be increased? Maybe for looking at how
an oligarch destroys a cultural value? Why should parliamentarians
enjoy bigger salaries? None of them has done anything to stop the
people escaping from the country. Why? Probably, it was because of
their low salaries. Now these parliamentarians complain that their
salaries will be equal to the salaries of deputy ministers. All
this is because parliamentarians have become something like a paper-
stainer who make papers into the law every time they are ordered to
do," Pashinyan said and recalled the words of Ostap Bender: "Shura,
how much money do you need to be happy?"
From: Baghdasarian