Taron Margaryan’s decision is unacceptable for Galust Sahakyan.
“There can’t be victories and defeats in the Armenian environment,” – said Vice Chairman of ruling Republican Party in the conversation with “Aravot”, opposing our observation that the suspension of the decision on public transport fare increase, even if it is temporary, is the first defeat of the authority.
In any case, he considers the approach of the society “appreciable”. “Which seeks to have its participation in the management process, which since the first years of independence we have been trying to have, but nothing turned out. Now it seems that it turns out, although elemental, snippy. Anyway, I assess it positively.”
To the questions as to, in fact, the authorities do not intimidate the demanding of the public, but encouraging, our interlocutor said,- “First of all, there was no claim, there were recommendations. People stood up and said that we do not have opportunity to pay that much fare. I do not see any serious problems there, but I appreciate the approaches.”
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We noticed that the struggle continues, and that everything does not ends with the decision to suspend the fare increase, but begins. RPA Vice President said,- “Well, it is obvious, if people think they have won …everyone who creates an imitation of a victory inside, gets also a shock. I consider this already a perverse approach. This is more of one of the first attempts to unite the community authorities and the public, than of introducing any demand or a claim. And it is a normal, appreciable phenomenon. I think the yellow-nosed will learn in the future, the elected mayor is also a listener to their recommendations, the problems of population in Yerevan city.”
In general, Mr. Sahakyan does not think that the decision of Taron Margaryan on suspension of transport fare rise can be regarded as a victory, because he believes that it is a “slump decision” of the transport system considering “recommendations of a small group” of city residents. The decision on AMD 150 fare, according to Republican MP, was a decision of ‘summing up of the system’. In any case, he believes that what happened was a vivid evidence that the urban authority is fully performing its functions, combining also the community residents.
In the interview with “Civilnet”, Mr. Sahakyan said that if government were willing, in a few hours it would extinguish the movement on the public transport fare increase. We inquired what the Republican Vice Chairman meant, “If urban authority and political power wanted, they could also organize certain processes, and lead the decision on AMD 150 fare to the end, of which I was the proponent. We are very serious political force and we could explain to people that Yerevan city should have transport. This decision was a decision of transport deprivation, which is not acceptable for me,”- said our interlocutor.
To the question, whether, nevertheless, why the urban authority and the ruling political power did not defend their decision to the end, if they were so sure that it was justified, he said,- “I am not the authorized body of that processes.” Galust Sahakyan welcomes Taron Margaryan, who, in his opinion, was able to make his decision, interpreting that there are social groups whom he is proponent to defend, if we do not find a quick solution, it means that we would not have public transportation. Gakust Sahakyan finds that it is disturbing factor in the progress of the state. To our question whether you do not think that Taron Margaryan was discredited in this whole story, whom the Republican Party was always presenting in the bright image, the prominent Republican activist said,- “I am also presenting him in the bright image, especially now, twice more, because it needs to have quite serious national baptism to listen to people and make a decision.”
We also asked who must compensate the 50 drams that our fellow citizens have paid in these days. “Those, who were taking 50, 100 and 200 thousand drams to organize rallies at the bus-stops. Only they,”- said Galust Sahakyan, adding that practically it is impossible to start a compensation process and decide who paid how much. “If it would be possible to present the list of non-payers, we can do that way, too.”
To our question whether Galust Sahakyan knows who have paid to organize actions at the bus-stops, whether he can tell the names, he countered with a smile,- “You should not give that question to me, because I always know everything and do not want to explain anything, because they are processes, which can be led, nor stopped.” To our question whether they are the political forces, business circles, Sahakyan countered indignantly, – “Because I am not the primitive personality of your judgment, nor the interrogated to say who does what, and how. I am talking about the consequences of political ideology.”
Nelly Grigoryan
