“If you demand, when diagnosing you should go back and punish everyone, behead them, I say—this isn’t my function”
Last year AMD 181 billion was spent for state purchase from Armenia’s state budget, around half of which is secret. “168 Hours” touched upon productivity of state procurement and inappropriate purchase with Vardan Aramyan, Minister of Finance of Armenia.
Mr. Aramyan does anyone follow how much inappropriate procurement is implemented?
What do you mean by saying “inappropriate procurement”?
Unproductive expenditure, e.g. bio toilets. Don’t you think it was inappropriate expenditure? 2 bio toilets have been installed by USD 300 thousand in Yerevan and near Tatev ropeway, however, they didn’t work and it is unknown where they are now.
I hesitate to answer whether they were inappropriate or not, as to tell the truth we should introduce a concept regarding bio toilets, we should observe whether that concept is justified or not. It’s early saying whether it’s proper or not.
But it’s a concrete and big example implemented by the Government within a certain project, moreover, by the same leading political party—the RPA.
Now you want that I gave an assessment regarding the work of former Government, I don’t consider it proper. You may ask me what do we do in the field of finances?
The point is that its implementer was the Government of Republicans, and when a Republican says he bears responsibility for what he did and didn’t previously. At the same time, every time the authorities seem to open a new page, and PM’s call in Gyumri on not being “upset” basically is a call to forget the past and open a new page.
I consider it isn’t so. First he says a very simple thing, that if the inclination is negative, even the best initiative will fail.
However, people are inclined negatively based on personal experience.
We have what we have now. Our Government, the new Government says to the people—now we should diagnose and move forward. Now if you demand that, you should go back and punish everyone, behead them, as the Minister of Finance, I say—this is not my function, there are respective bodies, let them do it, if there is abuse. It won’t be proper if I give assessment regarding how productively functions this or that Government circle. I can’t give assessment regarding my part as well, I should only be accountable before every citizen.
Can you guarantee, that hereinafter “bio toilets” won’t be purchased, i.e. inappropriate expenditures won’t be implemented?
I can guarantee the following. First, let’s be more pragmatic, the man, who doesn’t do anything, isn’t mistaken, i.e. if you do work, there is possibility of making a mistake. It’s another thing, if you work properly and planned, you minimalize the probability of being mistaken. Even in the countries with the most optimal governance system there are programs, which fail. And you can’t find a country in the world, where the government planned something and everything has been justified, no failures have been recorded.
Always someone will appear and prove that very project was a failure. There is no need making big noise of it, we should always consider the following—what we do and what I can guarantee. I can guarantee, that promises we gave months ago to the public, we have brought into life 3-4 months later.
If you remember 3-4 month ago we stated we’d go to more transparency in the field of procurement. We promised to install a system 1 January 2017, not only that data on the contractor recognized as winner, but also on other participants will be provided. Currently it has been implemented and I report everyone that it’s fulfilled. A few other steps have been implemented as well. If formerly we stated that grounds should be implemented, that the institute of clash of interests functioned, now we should be persistent in installation of mechanisms, i.e. I can guarantee something that depends on me, I will exert maximal efforts, work at least 12-14 hours a day, and not only me, but my team as well. We’ll live and see the results. You be the judge and we—the responsible party.
By Gayane Khachatryan
