Do you remember the time when the leader of People’s Party, Tigran Karapetyan, was taking pensioners to Sevan by minibuses, organizing a barbecue banquet for them, and then approximately 10-15 minutes themes were broadcast over ALM TV news channel, during which pensioners were expressing their gratitude to the benefactor? This was the classic model of the Armenian charity: a politician or an MP who has necessary funds is conducting an act of charity by providing a positive PR for him and taking into account that these charities will work to the benefit of his future political platforms.
In specifically this case, the money was spent wasted, because in addition to the act of charity and acquiring an image of “a person thinking about people”, a person having political ambitions must distribute money during the elections, solve people’s social problems. Anyway, Tigran Karapetyan, even if he had such a desire, he should have had the permit for it from the government, because it is possible to distribute election bribery only when the law enforcement agencies are closing their blind eye on it. In short, treating barbeque to pensioners in Sevan did not prove its goal.
Due to this model, the word “charity” in Armenia has been significantly discredited and public “gratitude” to charity “beneficiaries” sounds extremely fake and forced. That’s why, when the actor’s Haik Marutyan, who, as we know, has no political ambitions, earnestly wanted to help people with “bread and butter” problem organizing mobile canteen, it also raised suspects among some citizens and it was even called a ‘project’. Which is also natural: under universal falsehood, no one believes in anything.
Charity, of course, with its clean, non-oligarchic form must have its place. But, in many countries, including the UK, Russia, and India, it is transformed into a social business. This idea, as far as I know, was first voiced by the MP Mher Shahgeldyan. Social business is aimed at mitigation of social problems. On the one hand, it should be self-financing, on the other hand, help specific socially vulnerable groups, such as women, the disabled, the remote rural inhabitants, the same pensioners and the like. Such elements of entrepreneurship have been still in the 19th century, and since 1990s, the problem was also developed by the theoretical level.
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Thus, our businessmen, in addition to listening to dithyrambs for their charity, can also do really good things.
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
