Speaking at a meeting of local self-governing bodies, Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian made statements and expressed views, which were clearly contradictory.
Talking about the poor, the president said that, those who are not ready to work from morning to night are condemned to live in poverty, always feeling that everyone else in Armenia is a thief.
In the same speech, Sarkisian addressed the mayors and told them, that many local community leaders misuse their positions and amass incomprehensible and unacceptable incomes. “Some of you take the money from our people to their homes” Sarkisian told the gathering.
For a politician like Serzh Sarkisian, who is generally very cautious in his words, it is quite odd to express such contradictory thoughts in the same speech. If officials are accused of stealing money from the people, then one can not blame those who are the victims of such behavior, and complaining about it. Regular people are the ones who are suffering and are living in poverty, due to the actions of their local leaders.
In recent days, the price of essential nutritional items like cheese, eggs and other products in Armenia have increased dramatically, raising a wave of protests in the country. In response to these complaints, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Social and Health Affairs of the National Assembly Hagop Hagopian stated that the price increases will not affect the poor, because, either way, they do not have the money to buy these products, and they will find other means of consuming food. The second statement, that despised the people even more, came from Khosrov Haroutiunian, a Republican member of the National Assembly. While speaking in the parliament he said that the poor should eat potatoes.
This complete and utter disregard of the poor, once again confirms that the ruling class of Armenia is avoiding responsibility, and has no intention of changing its economic and social policy in the visible future.
MASSIS
