“One can write many programs, beautiful programs, but they should be implemented,” Hakob Hakobyan, the owner of Kilikia Brewery, an RPA MP and a member of the financial and economic affairs standing commission of the National Assembly, said during a conversation with www.aravot.am when asked whether he had read former Prime Minister Hrant Bagratyan’s election program and what he thought of it. Let us remind that Hrant Bagratyan’s election program includes the main provisions of “100 Steps,” the Armenian National Congress (ANC) program, which were mostly written by Bagratyan.
Hakob Hakobyan has no doubt that Hrant Bagratyan is a good economist and can write good programs, but he thinks that not every written program can be implemented. Thinking of himself as a “person who has been around,” Hakobyan says that he can say by just looking at a program which part of it is implementable and which part is written for the election campaign. As regards Hrant Bagratyan’s election program, he says: “It is an election campaign, many people will write many things. In my opinion, there are many things, which, if you ask him, if he is honest, I think he will say that they were written for the election campaign. I repeat I think rather highly of Bagratyan as an economist; he is quite a smart economist. But he worked as a prime minister, everyone knows; well, whether they will vote for him or not will depend on the work he has done. I for one have been an MP for five years, I haven’t made unnecessary promises during election campaigns, but people have appreciated my work and have voted for me. So it is a result of work; well, I don’t think highly of programs.”
We asked Hakob Hakobyan to mention one point in Hrant Bagratyan’s program, which was implementable, in his opinion, as a “person who has been around.” He mentioned the provision about the minimum wage. Let us remind that Bagratyan is convinced that one can surely increase the minimum wage in the Republic of Armenia to 72 thousand drams. “Every boss, regardless of whether he is a small one or a big one, wants his employees to earn more money and live better. But it is just a good wish, because a wish and the reality are different. No one wants people to emigrate, leave this country, because of bad life,” the RPA MP said.
We also inquired whether Hrant Bagratyan could aspire to second place, in Hakob Hakobyan’s opinion. Our interlocutor didn’t wish to make predictions; he just said that the Armenian people were to decide that. “I can say only one thing; Hrant Bagratyan has
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worked, everyone knows him, whatever percentage he wins, it will be a result of his work. I wish him good luck.”
Nelly GRIGORYAN
