Political scientist Suren Surenyants wrote about the "cold" insensitivity of the government on his Facebook page.
"The statement of the President of the National Assembly, Alen Simonyan, about teachers and soldiers receiving 400-500 thousand drams and more in Armenia, reveals not so much the problem of salaries, but the deepening gap between the government and social reality.
Without presenting a single clear example, exceptional cases are presented as a systemic norm, which is a misleading way of talking to society.
However, these are exceptional cases, mainly due to highly qualified or additional workload.
The average salary for teachers is much lower (minimum - about 108-200 thousand drams per hour), and most do not reach that level. Presenting such a statement without context really deepens the gap between the government and society.
However, the problem is not the dispute over the numbers.
The additional payments, amounting to around three million drams, transferred to the deputies were formed from the "savings" of the National Assembly and distributed by the very body that also decides on their provision.
This is a fundamental question: who is rewarded, according to what standards and with what accountability.
During the rule of Nikol Pashinyan, the institution of bonuses actually changed its meaning.
It is no longer a tool for encouraging work, but a mechanism for maintaining political loyalty. As a result, a closed, self-rewarding system is formed, where loyalty gradually replaces efficiency.
There are also serious questions in the legal field.
When bonuses are given without clear criteria, transparency and public justification, they contradict the very logic of public administration.
The heaviest layer, however, is the moral one.
In a country where around 22 percent of the population is poor, and thousands of people are unable to meet even the minimum vital needs, the "hefty" premiums of the ruling elite cannot be perceived as natural or fair.
Even in case of formal legality, they remain morally unacceptable for society.
This story speaks not only about income inequality, but about a deeper problem: the loss of government sensitivity to social reality.
When the government begins to reward itself, it usually indicates a disconnection with society," he wrote.
