Armenia 'less-corrupt' Than Neighbours

[vava]

I found This Article on the RFE site. Thought it might be of some interest to the folks here.

Excerpt:

The Armenian government on 16 January made public an anticorruption plan aimed at making state institutions more transparent and eliminating red-tape bureaucracy. The plan also includes recommendations to citizens not to yield to requests for bribes at state-run schools and hospitals, as well as rules of conduct for civil servants.

 

But most Armenians are skeptical of the whole scheme, arguing that it lacks any implementation mechanisms and fails to address corruption in many state institutions.

 

Stefes says the Armenian government ignored most anticorruption guidelines set by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, instead emphasizing the necessity of raising public awareness. "Some fundamental reforms that were suggested -- such as reforming the police for example -- were cut out by the government. Public awareness seems to be OK, but it is also the least touchy [issue]," he said. "You can raise public awareness under an authoritarian regime, but that does not really matter. So I think this is a half-hearted kind of reform. It is doing a little bit, but obviously [the government] is not interested in doing much more. For [President Robert] Kocharian, the corrupt system that exists in Armenia is perfect to [win] political support with all these little oligarchs now being in the ruling party and [standing] behind him. That works perfectly."

 

Stefes further argues that, contrary to Shevardnadze, who had virtually no power to implement his initiatives, Kocharian has enough leverage on the state apparatus to effectively combat corruption. The same goes for Azerbaijan, which has been ruled for more than a decade by the powerful Aliyev family clan.

 

It's a pretty sad state of affairs - the worst part being that (according to this commentary), Kocharian has the capacity to make significant in-roads and reduce corruption, but he seems unwilling to carry through.

[Armat]

Vava good post.

Just wanted to add that Kocharian’s family is just as entrenched in corruption as the rest of the society but just for a perspective, which does not excuse the corruption in Armenia, I would like to add the following.

In US, corruption is so institutionalized that it almost seems not there but that is an illusion. US major and minor corporations have been cheating the government from collecting billions I mean billions of dollars of tax revenue in phony leasing overseas deals. It was reported that generally they should pay close to 30% but in reality they pay 7-10% which means ordinary citizens must pay higher taxes so the government functions.

I just touched the tip of the iceberg. Promoting the “insiders” for lucrative deals is very common.

It is only more obvious in Armenia because her size is so small that things seem larger then they are.

I just don’t like some Diaspora Armenian businessman who makes excuses not to invest in Armenia because of corruption. They are hundreds of Diaspora Armenians who are doing business in Armenia and succeeding.

Sometimes we like to dwell on the negatives so much that it creates a permanent mindset where nothing seems to be working and instead of contributing they become the sidelined whiners.

[vava]

Corruption is everywhere Armat jan Just recently here in Canada, the lid has been blown off of a scandal where the ruling Liberal Party's supporters and longtime campaign contributors have been rewarded with millions of dollars worth of contracts for nealr non-existant 'work'. And I'm sure this is the tip of the iceburg. Corporate greed/corruption is rampant here - as it is in the US. It's just better hidden than in Armenia. Why should we expect things to be different there?

[Anonymouse]

I found This Article on the RFE site. Thought it might be of some interest to the folks here.

Excerpt:

 

 

It's a pretty sad state of affairs - the worst part being that (according to this commentary), Kocharian has the capacity to make significant in-roads and reduce corruption, but he seems unwilling to carry through.

Why should he, his whole establishment is premised on it, and you can trace that all the way back to the CIA backed coup de'at.

[vava]

Exactly. And that's why it's a sad state of affairs

[Armat]

Why should he, his whole establishment is premised on it, and you can trace that all the way back to the CIA backed coup de'at.

Anon

I am a little puzzled about this statement. To my knowledge Petrosian was more yielding on Artsagh then Kocharian.Why would US try to replace a semi nationalist with a clear nationalist president.

Am I missing here something? Why would CIA even bother?

[gamavor]

In US, corruption is so institutionalized that it almost seems not there but that is an illusion. US major and minor corporations have been cheating the government from collecting billions I mean billions of dollars of tax revenue in phony leasing overseas deals.

 

Once it is regulated it is not anymore corruption. It is just business practice. Basically, corruption comes into play whenever and wherever there are "gray" areas in the functioning of the government and the judicial system. Corruption has this unique quality of becoming chronic and in that way substituting the system, and becoming the "system" itself. I’m afraid that Armenia is into that path.