The Problem with Tigran Sargsyan, According to Nikol Pashinyan

“A social revolt is really not possible in Armenia. But not because a social rebellion is truly not possible in Armenia, but because in Armenia there is such a political force as the Armenian National Congress [HAK],” writes imprisoned journalist, editor-in-chief of local daily Haykakan Jamanak (“Armenian Times”) Nikol Pashinyan in an article published by the newspaper today.

Pashinyan explains by saying that “socially discontented citizens” without HAK will demand a bag of flour, but with HAK’s leadership, such political-socioeconomic mechanisms and conditions will be created that will make it possible for citizens to have their “necessary bag of flour” without difficulties. “And these conditions must always exist,” writes Pashinyan.

“Chamber analysts, by the way, sometimes talk of social rebellion with such contempt that listening to them, you realize these people haven’t read Armenia’s Constitution. And in the Constitution it says that Armenia is a sovereign, legal, democratic and social state. Thus, social uprising in Armenia is as constitutional as a rebellion on freedom of speech, lawfulness and justice. Social rebellion is as political as a revolt in any foreign policy matters. The argument undermining social rebellion is that in this case we’re speaking of the masses dull from hunger.

“But, ay cruel government, why should there be mass starvation in your country? After all, your primary task is to ensure the safety and welfare of your citizens. And if in your country there are people dim from hunger, it means that you, as a government, cannot carry out your most basic mission.

“Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan was really like an untalented… when he said that, can a state tolerate it when a citizen doesn’t pay taxes, in this case referring to cars imported from Georgia? Can a state tolerate it when citizens don’t obey the law and avoid taxes? This… man doesn’t understand that he has no right to demand even so much as a penny from the owners of these imported Georgian cars, since he has not received every last penny from taxes that oligarchs are required to pay, but haven’t paid for years.

“Remember how in the first two January’s of his term Tigran Sargsyan was threatening that he’s going to bring big business into the tax arena? But in his recent famous interview, he didn’t even utter a word as to how much unpaid taxes he’s levied from big businesses. Because he hasn’t and we all know that he’s not going to. Because any criminal state has only one purpose: to destroy small and medium businesses and make room for oligarchs. It’s obvious that Tigran Sargsyan solves a very specific task: in the future parliament, to have next to Caramel Harut, Bottle Melo, Beer Hakob, and Flour Leo, oligarch MPs with the names of Greens Yeprem, Sunflower Valod, Lemon Vacho. Also, Cheburek Ando, Berashki Vazgen, Balloons Gago, Gando… no, there are already tons of this in the National Assembly now,” writes Pashinyan.