From Sargsyan to Abrahamyan - same song, same dance in Armenia
By Mushvig Mehdiyev
There are no jobs, plants are closed and corruption is on rise - those were the complaints voiced by Yerevan residents in a survey conducted by the local TV channel.
By conducting such a survey, the First Information channel aimed essentially to get a sense of people's feelings and opinions towards incumbent Prime Minister, Hovik Abrahamyan so far.
The majority of surveyed Yerevan residents said they feel uncomfortable and dissatisfied with Abrahamyan's term in the premier's office, since no tangible result was ever witnessed on the ground in terms of social improvements.
"After the resignation of Tigran Sargsyan, former PM, nothing has changed - it's the same song and the same dance," said one of the residents.
A year ago, on April 3, 2014, Sargsyan resigned from the PM post, reportedly for "personal reasons". Now, he is serving as Armenia's ambassador to the U.S.
Residents believe that as long as no boost will take place towards investments and productivity, Armenia will remain stuck in recession, unable to move forward.
"There are only promises and statements in our country, but no action is ever taken. Money from the World Bank is received and is immediately pocketed," a Yerevan resident said.
Drawing a parallel between Abrahamyan and Sargsyan, residents said that both of politicians have failed to make any significant contributions to Armenia's statehood.
However, they believe that Sargsyan was a well-educated and literate man, whose foreign meetings have seen no ignominy.
"Sargsyan managed to communicate well. But Abrahamyan is different. Recently we were ashamed for him and of him when he took a piece of paper and read his official greeting at a meeting with his Russian counterpart Dmitriy Medvedev," the residents said.
When talks moved to the difficult matter of corruption, Yerevan residents urged Abrahamyan to recall his promise to oppose corruption.
"Where is the anti-corruption campaign we were promised? We have been kept in the dark, as usual. Begging has become the only way to survive. A pervasive hopelessness is sweeping across Armenia," they said.
Latest data by the National Statistics Committee recorded that 32 percent of Armenia's population is living in poverty, with less than a $20 income per month.
The index of freedom from corruption in Armenia is 26.7 which is under the world average, according to the 2014 Index of Economic Freedom. It shows that bribery is deeply rooted in Armenian society and none of the adopted anti-corruption measures have so far been able to tackle it.
Disillusionment with the government's indifference towards public suffering is also a clear fact.
Earlier in March, salesmen in Yerevan said the country is ruled by hooligans, in the grip of a severe business orientated repression. Following the new turnover tax's application, traders likened Armenia to a country ruled by swindlers and hooligans, in the light of the government's crackdown on business enterprises.
In an endeavor to guise Armenia's ailing economy, on December 30, 2014, Armenia's rulers praised their country in an interview with Spain's El Mundo newspaper, when Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan along with several cabinet ministers projected a superb image of Armenia, introducing the country as being the best in the region and one of the best around the globe.
However, the latest data issued by several international financial organizations, including the World Bank, Moody's, Fitch showed that the government's plea about Armenia's bright future has been in fact a deliberate move to hide realities.
For instance, in contradiction with the government's 4.1 percent economic growth projection, the WB has come up with a 0.8 percent increase forecast for Armenia's economy last week.
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