Many of us watched the French Senate discuss “our question” – the bill banning the denial of the Genocide – a few months ago. Let me admit that I have never watched the very process of discussions in other developed countries – I have read or seen the media coverage. However, the very discussion in the Senate shows how one should work on bills in the parliament. In our country, that process still reminds of the Congresses of People’s Deputies
of the late perestroika period – inefficient fencing of the “aggressive-obedient” majority and revolutionary minority.
The Armenian parliamentarianism hasn’t made particular progress in terms of MPs’ intellectual level in the past 22 years. Even if Nahapet Gevorgyan or Arakel Movsisyan sit in the parliament for 30 years, all the same, they will not improve, they will not become a legislator in the classical sense of that word. Rather, Tigran Sargsyan, Vache Gabrielyan, Hrayr Tovmasyan who, I am sure, had been normal people before assuming the offices; their mentality and values gradually come closer to those of Navo and Schmeiss. However, it is just the form. How our MPs and the Cabinet discuss, for example, the same state budget is more important. It seems to the Members of the Cabinet and Republican MPs that every word uttered by Hrant Bagratyan, Artsvik Minasyan or Mikayel Mejlumyan is against them personally and aims at depriving them of power. Even if it was the case, one should probably try to find the grain of sense in what oppositionists say and take it into account, while drawing up the final version of the budget. I for one would use the opportunity that such a good economist as Hrant Bagratyan is an MP and would make the most of his knowledge, in order to increase the efficiency of my Cabinet, if I were the Prime Minister or a minister.
On the other hand, oppositionists should also avoid political or emotional overtones during the discussion on the budget and put an emphasis on the content: “It is written here like this, but it should be like this.” Whereas they often digress from the subject matter, engaging in “blasting formulas,” which are perhaps interesting to hear, but the efficiency of it in practical terms amounts to zero.
Read also
While MPs are vying with each other to determine who the toughest guy is, the quality of the budget remains the same. This also applies to our citizens’ standard of living.
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
