Yesterday I read on www.lragir.am that it was not ruled out that Ruben Hayrapetyan would “have a change of heart” and would decide not to resign the office giving in to his friend Samvel Alexanyan’s pleadings. It seems unlikely to me, moreover, the opposite is possible that he would persuade his colleague to resign from the parliament. If such a thing took place, it would do credit to both of them. By the way, I think one should distinguish between the political and social lives of oligarchs. In the first case, it is clear that they should leave that field. In the second case, as far as, for example, the Football Federation or the Olympic Committee is concerned, people involved in that field – in this case, sportsmen, coaches – should decide whether they want the head of the organization to change or not.
As for politics and parliamentarianism, it is absolutely clear why oligarchs have squeezed themselves into it. In Russia, which we copy in many respects, it is already history – Usmanov, Lisin or Mordashov are not members of the Duma anymore and now they don’t seem to have a particular wish to regain that status. Certainly, it would be naïve to think that they don’t have an influence on the political stage; they just have found more civilized ways, including media, for that. The financial means of our rich people are at least 20 times less than those of the mentioned oligarchs and perhaps that is the reason for their mistrust of tomorrow and longing for a political “cover.” On the other hand, the cultural level of Russian oligarchs is much higher than of their Armenian counterparts and today it doesn’t occur to them to surprise the society with their fierce, unbridled bodyguards. Our folks are those very people who have remained at the level of mobsters and nouveau riches of the 1990s.
All those circumstances of ours are naturally not conditional on our national traits or even differences in regimes; on the contrary, the current regime in our country is even a bit more liberal than that of Russia. I am rather inclined to attribute it to the extreme situation in our country in the first half of the 1990s, when the state system – with its positive and negative sides – was being built by law-enforcement bodies.
But let bygones be bygones – it is high time to switch to normal “civic” life. The first step toward it could be not letting oligarchs into the parliament. However, most probably the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) couldn’t do that, since it was in a severe competition with the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), where there are big and small oligarchs too. Now, taking into account Ruben Hayrapetyan’s move, perhaps there is a possibility that the oligarchs of the above-mentioned parties will resign their offices. Why do you need to be a target of criticism and mockery all the time? Go to your mansions, be engaged in charity. If you want to morally or financially support the current president, no problem. If you want to endorse any of the two former presidents, it is your business. However, let legislative activities alone, it is not for the likes of you.
Read also
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
