Power is, nonetheless, a sweet thing both for the one who “honestly served the people” and the one who “grabbed and robbed.” Those two definitions are in quotes, because usually the one in power attributes to himself the first version and the rest of the citizens are convinced that the second version is the case.
Vardan Ghukasyan, the mayor of Gyumri, for example, thinks that he hands over a “turnkey” town to his successor, i.e. in such a good shape that Samvel Balasanyan must only enjoy the fruits of his predecessor’s selfless work. It is said about a town, in which people have been living in “temporary” shelters for 24 years and a whole generation, among which the vices of our society are more marked, has grown in those shelter camps. At least, for that reason it is hard to imagine that everything in the second town of our country is ready for use. Instead, I believe that the businesses belonging to the mayor – officially, the mayor’s family – are like that and yield respectable revenues. However, if Vardan Ghukasyan doesn’t have chances to become the mayor and have to hand over the power to the beer businessman willingly or unwillingly, why do his “militants,” headed by his son, provoke clashes here and there and even shoot? Certainly, everything can be attributed to emotions; an unpleasant thing – “loss of power” – awaits them and they get nervous. However, let us admit that leaders at that level are not complete fools, otherwise, they wouldn’t achieve their goals. Making scenes on the last days of one’s tenure just because of emotions would be too thoughtless. Therefore, there is an ultimate goal, a message in this attitude.
Most probably the message is related to that very “sweet” property. It is clear in what ways those profitable businesses have been built in a poor town and in what favorable situation they have operated, when the mayor was “on the pig’s back.” Now, after the change of power, the businesses are under certain threat – in such cases, certain redistribution of property is unavoidable, because the new masters of the town will approach this “sweet” part of power with renewed appetite. And the meaning of this message may be a threat to destabilize the situation, if that redistribution takes place.
Certainly, the ways of the criminals are inscrutable and their behavior and reasons for action may also be different. However, the effect that the criminals expect from their actions is the same – fear and terrorizing people. In Gyumri, those “traditions” have a 10-year history.
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ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
