I congratulate our nation for having held the ground, for getting a Prime minister who stands out among the leaders of other nations by his integrity, intelligence and humility.
During my teens, we used to hear about how people in Soviet Armenia managed with their low salaries. A salesperson in a government shop took a “commission” to deliver a product, factory workers “took” materials home, a public bus driver “took” gasoline….
During the last two decades, things changed gradually in Armenia, corruption at the lower levels fading away.
I visited Armenia for the first time in 2001, I was impressed by the beauty of the country and the level of education of the population. At the time, we were stopped every mile by a cop who explicitly asked for money. I suggested in an article that Diaspora entrepreneurs and economists have their input by proposing a much needed economic reform project. I received then a response from Lev M. Freinkman, a senior economist, who suggested financial and technical support of the World Bank. Lev was heading a group of economists which had studied the Armenian economy and had written a book with the title “obstacles to growth in Armenia”.
At that time, I contacted some Diaspora entrepreneurs who were all “engaged” with the government and none wanted to get involved. In the context of 2002, particularly given the interests of the elite in Armenia then and in retrospect, I would have presented the article in a different way and would not have used terms such as corruption.
The timing then was not right. Now, the context is different.
Besides the change in the government, the burst of conscience which took place in the last three weeks took us 30 years forward, something I would not even dreamt of a month ago.
Mr. Pashinian is moving very wisely. He called Daron Acemoglu who accepted to help Armenia.
What else did we want?
Yet, we have challenges ahead, the most imminent being the economic reform Armenia has to go through. A nurse nowadays gets around 100 USD a month and often “takes” 2 USD for an injection.
Whether you call it a tip or extortion, it is humiliating, unhealthy but is accepted as the system, which has been inherited from the Soviet time and has been maintained so far.
Now the spirits are high and perspectives are bright. I am hopeful that Daron and other economists will come up with a proposition of parallel payment system into taxes, raising official salaries in the public sector very significantly, which would be difficult if the tens of thousands of redundant government employees (Link 1, Link 2) are maintained.
I am confident that Mr. Pashinian will navigate in wisdom. The support of the Diaspora materialized by announcement of investments endorsement visits of influent Diasporans will consolidate the revival of Armenia. We need however further backing from the Diaspora as the state of the economy is delicate, the poverty rate is very high and the expectancies are very high.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yesterday, I had two concerns; the economic development of Armenia and the revival of the Diaspora. During the past year, I haven’t spared time and effort; I met leaders of the homeland and the Diaspora, in a quest to mobilize and help fill the gaps. Now the bridge between the homeland the Diaspora seems sound. The one between the two mountains of the Diaspora is yet to be built.
Today, I am more concerned about the Diaspora as the revival of our homeland will eclipse the issues of the Diaspora.
Yesterday, we, the Diasporans were critical of Hayasdancis, we made suggestions.
Today we have to look up, with respect for them.
Armenia stood up and will prosper.
There is a breath of Revival across the Diaspora as well, where the revival will become by a push from the bottom, particularly from the youth.
Hovel Chenorhokian
May 31, 2018