Wage increase of the highest state bureaucracy on the background of eliminating 18 thousand drams unemployment benefits is really a bizarre step. The government could not explain why it wants to take away that albeit minor contribution from unemployed. Perhaps there are reasons that are not loud about it. For example, there is a secret plan to provide a “boom” of jobs in the upcoming months.
Connecting such reckless and irrational move of the Government and the National Assembly with raising of own salary talks about the lack of elementary political smell (or, maybe, about real cynicism). While the issue of raising wages really exists, and if do not pursue the goal to please the majority of our citizens and to deserve stormy applauses, then I suggest to think.
When Saakashvili came to power and got the full support of the Americans, of course, the question arose how to do that the senior officials steal less. Americans said to Saakashvili ‘never mind, make your young people work, we will give money’. Regardless of what happened after, it gave its positive result in the first round. It is not possible other than that: to pay 240 thousand drams to the minister and tell to rule the sector, where billions of dollars are circulating, it is illogical. You will say even if he received a million, it’s all the same, he will steal. Yes, it is possible. But, for these 240 thousand drams, he is forced to do it.
There are people in the Government and the National Assembly, who have no business, do not “stand a roof” in anywhere, do not take bribes, do not collect illegal ‘taxes’. How is their issue solved? In addition to “white” salaries, they are likely to get an envelope with “black” salary. In addition to lazybones and pillagers, the government, sometimes, in exceptional cases, needs for specialists, professionals, such as people like Vache Gabrielyan. Such people are also available in much lower spheres. How to stir the interest of such specialists to work for the state? Perhaps, we should quit with them and hire people with low wages, knowing a priori that they will take a bribe, or (which is almost the same) will intrude into the business.
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In short, the issue principally is put correctly. Simply, in the country with widespread poverty, it is absolutely not perceived and will not be perceived that the well-fed MPs, the majority of which are businessmen and absolutely do not rely on wages, raise their, as well as their ‘fellow worker’ executive’s salaries. Accordingly, if I were a deputy, I would propose the following: to pass a law, but for the next government, for the next session of the National Assembly, for the next president.
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
