We, Armenians, like to discuss global issues from “What will be the end of this?” series. During those abstract discussions the terms “regime” and “the people” – God knows, what they mean – must be present. Unfortunately, I cannot rise to that level of abstraction, and that is why I am concerned about specific persons and specific issues.
I don’t want professors to be dismissed for expressing their political positions. I don’t want a woman who expressed her opinion about the Sevan mayor to be dragged to the police station. I don’t want guys or groups “bringing votes during elections” to be in the government’s team, because those “guys” or groups will cost the state and the very government dearly in the next 5 years. I don’t want Serzh Sargsyan’s name to be written in lower case, because firstly, I don’t see any feat in it – it is an absolutely safe thing to do these days – secondly neither the number of people leaving the country, nor the corruption will be reduced by that. I don’t want Mher of Tokhmakh or Schmeiss to be MPs, taking the places of more literate and clever people. I don’t want Surik Khachatryan to be a governor, because our towns and villages are emptying because of those very people. I don’t want supporters of one candidate to think of the supporters of the other candidate as enemies, provocateurs, sellouts etc. I don’t want “proscription” lists of those who weren’t with “the people” and didn’t struggle against the “regime” to be drawn up in squares. I don’t want people who cry louder than others at rallies to be in the “shadow” Cabinet and then in case of the opposition’s victory, in the “lucid” Cabinet – we experienced that partially after the 1988 Movement. I want Tigran Arakelyan to be released from prison. In the end, I would like it very much, if all our politicians were at least a bit like Mrs. Anahit Bakhshyan.
My compatriots who have reached the heights of politicized and abstract thinking will respond to all that: “Everything will be fine when the people topple the regime.” It is quite possible. It would be great, if after that face-off – I hope, peaceful – prosperous and happy life started in Armenia. However, I don’t think that it will be perfectly happy, so happy that one will not have to think of specific people and specific phenomena again.
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
