Within the framework of “Women in the Legislative” series Iravaban.net spoke with Lusine Badalyan, a member of the “Civil Contract” Faction of the National Assembly.
The deputy was born in Yerevan, graduated from YSU Faculty of History, Department of Art Studies. She has worked in a number of media outlets, including the Public Radio of Armenia, “Kentron” and “Yerkir Media” TV Companies. She worked as a teacher in secondary school No. 61.
Lusine Badalyan is also the Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee on Health Care of the National Assembly. Currently studying at the master’s program of Yerevan State Medical University after M. Heratsi.
– Ms. Badalyan, you have a master’s degree in the history of Armenian art, you graduated from the university in 2003, but now you have started studying at Yerevan State Medical University. What is the reason for choosing these two professions that are different from each other at first sight?
-I have had a lot of contact with the healthcare system in my life, seeing the gaps there, being also in a foreign medical center and dreaming that Armenia has the same level of medical care and services, I found that I have more to do in the healthcare commission than education and science, which was closer to my profession and education at YSU.
I think I was not wrong. It is difficult to combine study, which is rather very strict, with the deputy’s activity. The lecturers at YSMU mainly give us foreign experience, push us for innovations and innovative approaches. Their demand is that after graduating, the student should change the healthcare system in the country.
– A significant part of your biography refers to working in the media.
– It was a dream since childhood, which I was able to realize. I was a student when I was chosen from the YSU to work in television. After that I worked in that field for 20 years. It is not a secret that currently the media is not what we dreamed about. I hope that through self-cleansing, we will one day be able to have what we dreamed of.
– Why did you decide to be involved in politics? How was it offered to you? Who offered to participate in the elections for a deputy with the “My Step” Alliance?
– Each member of our political team, not having a political biography, all came with one purpose. Having the dream and the vision of what kind of country they want to live in, they want to get the tangible result of their dream. It was difficult for us from the beginning, because, not having that political experience, we had a hard time resisting the hostile opposition, which had that political experience, which was able to hit and destroy the weak by squeezing the weak sides. It seems that our dreams did not become so accessible to the society. I believe the people even having lived for 100 years will probably not gain that experience. All the people went through those disasters, but we went through it both as a people and as a responsible person. Double, triple load, from which it is very difficult to get out psychologically. It gave us experience. This is the difference between the National Assembly of the 7th and 8th convocations. We were able to resist the blows they give us.
The team was formed and grew like a snowball during the opposition activities, being in different struggles. Now I do not remember exactly who offered to become a candidate of deputy.
– What kind of leader is Nikol Pashinyan for the Republic of Armenia?
– I think history will make its corrections and everything we do not understand now, we will understand after some time. Everything we do not realize and do not understand now, time will put these in their place.
There is no person who does not consider himself smart, but we must realize that nevertheless, Nikol Pashinyan is the leader who sees everything a few steps ahead. And even if you do not understand what he is doing at the moment, it does not mean that he is doing something wrong. It means that you do not understand what he is doing. Nikol Pashinyan is also a mere mortal and is not infallible, but when he doubts whether he is doing right or wrong, he discusses it with a large number of people.
Full interview in the video.
Interview by Yevgenia Hambardzumyan
