After reading many of the negative reports coming out of Armenia, one has to wonder: Which one of Armenia's enemies are the most dangerous? The ones who are on the outside or the present day termites who are economically eating Armenia up alive from the inside?  

No doubt, there are many among us in the Diaspora who are still turning a blind eye to these reports. And to some extent, I was also one of those who was also less concerned than I should have been. But, of late, I am becoming more and more concerned because of the many varied sources that these negative reports are coming from. Fact is, many of these reports are coming from highly respected individuals who have no political axe to grind. 

Such being the case, until verifiably proven different, I would have to assume that the level of in-house political corruption throughout Armenia may be at an epidemic level and similar to a very rampant disease, very contagious. And sad to say, if these reports are true, then the cycle can also accelerate because corruption breeds corruption and its far reaching tentacles know no bounds. More important, corruption also breeds distrust and doubt because, I regret to say, that I now find myself asking: How corrupt is the executive branch? And if by chance they aren't corrupt, then why in hell aren't they doing something about it?   

There was a time when I believed that most Armenians were above reproach. But I am no longer as naive as I used to be, because of the dishonesty we've seen among some of our own American notables. However, be that as it may, I believe I offered a plausible analogy between corruption in America and corruption in Armenia in one of my earlier commentaries: I likened corruption in America because of its superior size and resources to an individual urinating in an ocean and I likened corruption in Armenia because of its smaller size and impoverished resources to an individual urinating in a bathtub. One doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out how much more over bearing the latter is compared to the former. 

A little while back I read about some of the modest incomes which were publicly posted by some of Armenia's high ranking officials. However, the incomes posted did not go beyond what they were presently earning while in office. Personally, I wasn't impressed because these incomes couldn't begin to pay for the multi-million dollar life styles that many of these individuals presently enjoy. Frankly, after seeing what recently happened to a multi-billion dollar corporation like Enron and the multi-billion dollar Anderson Accounting Firm who were found guilty of obstructing justice in the Enron case, I would have to see a lot more than the simple posting of salaries, as in Armenia's case.  


What's more judging by the short period of time in which some of these officials have become wealthy, I wonder if any among them have ever thought of throwing any of it back into the "kitty."  

As with all Diaspora Armenians, I want nothing but the best for Armenia. But since the specter of corruption is becoming more and more prevalent in Armenia, it leaves me to wonder, how much of our contributions are finding its way to their intended use and how much of it, by way of creative financing is finding its way into personal Swiss accounts.  The way I see it, if the Government of Armenia genuinely wants the maximum force of its Diaspora behind them, then they had better find the ways and means to bring their beleaguered people back under the protection of a truly democratic government of the people, by the people, and for the people.   

Joseph Vosbikian