The policy of the government is aimed at certain specialists’ encouragement with the toolset based on measurable and concrete results. The international experience shows that there is no institute of honorary titles at all in the progressive countries. 17 honorary titles are established by the RA legislation, and granting them have negative influence on healthy competition, meritorious progress, moral-psychological atmosphere in certain professional spheres. The RA Deputy Minister of Justice Armenuhi Harutyunyan expressed such opinion, presenting the amendments being proposed on RA State Awards and Honorary Titles and to the enclosed laws at the next sitting on January 15.
The draft proposes to remove from the law the titles of the RA People’s Artist, People’s Painter, Honorary Worker of Science, Honorary Architect, Honorary Construction Worker, Honorary Doctor, Honorary Lawyer, Honorary Artist, Honorary Painter, Honorary Worker of Art, Honorary Worker of Culture, Honorary Pedagogue, Honorary Journalist, Honorary Worker of Economy, Honorary Worker of Physical Education and Sport and Honored Trainer.
In response to the question of the deputy Lilit Galstyan regarding the details of the rating systems and holding of the award ceremonies in the professional spheres, Armenuhi Harutyunyan clarified that they are award ceremonies being organized for the given professions by their profile and professional communities, which is an accepted practice in the progressive states. The Deputy Minister added that it is not compulsory to grant ‘People’s’ and ‘Honorary’ titles to the individuals, about whom the majority of our people more often has even no information. “During these years 1181 meritorious titles were granted. The persons, whom were given meritorious titles, will preserve their rights and privileges and the relevant amount of money, which was given monthly,” the key rapporteur detailed. To her observation, these titles play a role of certain rating immunity, impeding the unfettered human resource policy of the head of the structure and the healthy generation change.
The member of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs Arpine Davoyan presented the endorsement of the Head Committee.
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In their speeches the MPs underlined that very often the titles were of certain political significance.
In his extraordinary speech the RA NA President Alen Simonyan, recording that the titles are norms established by the legislation of the Soviet Union, mentioned that there are no such titles in any other country: Luciano Pavarotti or Michael Jackson are not People’s Artists, they are, they have been and they will remain as a value for the mankind. Noting that some people ‘with nicknames’ in the sphere of music received ‘honorary’ titles, the NA President underscored: “The respect and popularity are not defined by title, there are no those elites, there is one elite – the people.”
In their final speeches Armenuhi Harutyunyan and Arpine Davoyan, touching upon the persons who received ‘Honorary’ and ‘People’s’ titles, once again valued their activities in different spheres. The circumstance of providing equal conditions of self-expression for the specialists working in different spheres established by the package of the drafts.
“The popularity, public recognition of creators, their character and public perception of activity cannot be checked or measured, moreover ratified or rejected by any state body,” the RA Deputy Minister of Justice concluded.
National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia
