I am not against paid parking sites. I am not against pensions be funded. I know that my readers would be dissatisfied with me, but I am not against the 20% of “ARG” be given to “Gazprom”, “Vorotan cascade” be given to the Americans. I am against anything that is done in secret, without citizens’ awareness, without asking their opinion.
Armenia is lacking of a decision-making mechanism perceivable for the people, and this is the very reason of people’s fair discontent, which serves as a base for the political forces to pass into quite natural populism. What are these mechanisms? First of all, the Parliament being elected and enjoying the prestige by citizens, the majority of which does not have the opportunity to turn on the voting mechanism at any convenient moment and pass decisions without having public support. Public debates on various platforms, including the media, are undoubtedly also such mechanisms. Unfortunately, these mechanisms can not be fully exercised. The media largely are politicized and are standing on this-or-that side of dividing line between PAP-ANC, on the one hand, and authorities, on the other hand. The media belonging to both groups do not have any desire to listen to each other and compare opinions.
Perhaps, the issue of paid parking sites in Yerevan is not the most important task among other issues that our population is concerned about, but, here, wrong practices typical to our authorities emerges. Marking red lines in various parts of the streets and urging the drivers to send SMSs, does not mean providing some kind of service. Firstly, a significant majority of people of my age and above has never send SMS in their lives, and even if they have a great desire to pay for parking, they just will not be able to do it. It is also not clear whether I have parked there for two minutes, 20 minutes, or two hours. Who and how will fix it? And if I fail to pay it, how will it be proved that I must pay fines? Rash, hasty adopted decisions leave the impression that this-or-that official in power wants to “sneak” money from somewhere in some way rather than introducing order in our everyday life. This is how any, even good and healthy idea is discredited.
In principle, I am not also against paying 100, but 150 drams for the public transport, but for the transport that will be qualitatively different from today’s poor, instead of 13, 23 pushed in passengers “mini-buses”. Let them do investments, and then demand money, instead of asking high price for the same service.
Read also
… Parking City Service Company informed that approximately 3 million dollar investment was done as of last year’s summer, and another 2.5 million dollar investment it still to be done until the end of the year. Director of the company said that Kentron community is fully equipped: the markings lines are completed, and the cameras are installed and now they are passing to the Arabkir community (quoted according to Tert.am).
I did not know that the red paint and cameras, which allegedly exist, but I do not know people seeing them, are so expensive.
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
