The deputies in parliament were elected at the will of the people, which is wonderful. That is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for working effectively. In order to work effectively in guardianship and legislation, not only are “political will” and good will necessary, but some knowledge, skills, and experience are necessary too. The deputies, no matter how great they are, cannot do that work without the parliamentary cabinet, especially assistants and experts. And here, the younger deputies (primarily from My Step) have to make a decision: well known, but immature, or foreign, doubtful, but possibly honorable. It is likely better to choose the second option with reservations and care.
Of course, one portion of the assistants and experts are the relatives or friends of former deputies, and they have no connection with the sector they work in. But I would not be so quick to get rid of them. If they have been working for several years and they didn’t simply make coffee, then they may be helpful for some time, especially in helping deputies to understand their work better. On the other hand, there are also valuable experts in the parliamentary cabinet who need to stay where they are and use their abilities to serve the New Armenia.
That is not only the case in parliament, but also in any other state structure. Let me use another field as an example. Every summer we face the issue of irrigation water, and we are forced to take more water from Sevan, which does not solve any problems. The reasons for these issues are not simply objective, but also due to a lack of professionalism. This field was once lead due to business interests, and the people who led the field were simply “good men” who understood their temporary and incompetent nature, which is why subdivisions of the water economy have been robbed and weakened. Water usage unions have become ways to oppress villagers. As a result, hydraulic engineering was almost unnecessary, and most of the people working in this field were over the age of 60. But there are people both working in the field and working outside the field who did great things. Therefore, it is not necessary to definitely bring in revolutionaries wearing leather jackets and Aurora charity hats in order to resurrect the field.
So, younger politicians need to study, study, study and trust experts in non-political issues, or, if they think that those people are not professionals, then they need to get as much knowledge as possible from those people anyways. Just as with many other issues, this issue needs an approach that is pragmatic and free of any revolutionary romanticism.
Aram Abrahamyan
