Building an efficient management system at all levels was identified as one of the priority problems reflected in the action program of the Armenian Government for 2008-2012, presented by the Armenian Prime-Minister Serge Sargsian in the National Assembly, which was ratified as Tesaket has reported, with “Rule of Law” and “Hairitage” voting against respectfully.
According to ARKA, among the priorities Serge Sargsian pointed out the provision of national security and sustainable development. He also added that the executive authorities should continue the policy of maintaining macroeconomic stability and reducing the poverty. This section especially grabbed my attention:
According to Sargsian, the second priority is to form an efficient management system at all the levels, including the state, local governments and private sector. “Corruption, “shadow” economy, unequal competition conditions – the solving of these problems means providing efficient management and requires changing the technologies, means and methods of management,” Sargsian said. According to him, the government should encourage introduction of corporate management system in the real sector of economy. “This process needs to be started with the state enterprises and enterprises with state involvement: those enterprises should introduce corporate management standards on a mandatory basis,” he said.
Interestingly, the Prime Minister does not mention anything about the widely advertised anti-corruption strategy of the government, neither does he speak of the hackneyed phrase “political will” to fight corruption.
One thing I did like though, was the “laissez fare” approach displayed in the following phrase, although I’m not sure just how persistent the government will be in following it:
Sargsian pointed out that the state should not interfere in the sphere where the private sector is able to provide development on its own. The state system should also refrain from functions that may lead to market deviations.
This might prove dangerous though, considering how dominant the “well-connected” oligarch-businessmen are in this country it might actually mean even less anti-monopoly cases brought about by the respectable state agency against oligarch businesses in the country.
