According to western media, after the recent earthquake in Japan, the official responsible for the water supply to disaster areas committed suicide. On very simple reason, he was obliged to provide people with water, but was unable to perform his duties, for which he was receiving a salary. Being unable to solve his problems, this man did not want to justify under “objective circumstances”.
Similar cases have not yet registered in Armenia. The officials involved in supply of water, electricity and other goods, as we know, did not commit “hara-kiri”. Fortunately. It’s true, it is not expected of them. We expect water and electricity from these people. The “objective circumstances” were formed in the solid integrated system consisting of several levels. 1) geopolitics, “war, blockade”, 2) historical-political, “malware bureaucrats always hamper all good affairs of the world” (if the bureaucracy begins, conventionally speaking, from the “electrician Serozh”, with whom we have a piece of luck to communicate, then with what official does it end), 3) purely scientific, “electricity is a product that is not stored” (in this case, where does the good get lost after being produced), 4) market, “pay, and you will get”, 5) maintenance, «cable problem”.
All of these “objective circumstances” are truly objective. Indeed, the earthquake is more objective than, let’s say, the “bureaucracy”. But, finding a rational outlet is important here than accusing, i.e. to precisely distribute the responsibility. When we expect what a miracle will happen and all goods will fall on us (electricity, gas, money, work), we are talking about the consuming psychology of homo soveticus in us. When the state, in fact, says,- “These are all your problems, solve as you wish,” then it just discredits liberalization and market relations.
A rational outlet seems to be seen with regard to electricity. Very difficult, perhaps unjustified higher price, but principally the only possible outcome. For any unbiased person, it is evident that installation of meters and strict control of consuming, in some places, led to positive outcomes. And in some places, it did not. Again, “these are your problems”. Maybe this was just the opposite; these are the problems of the state and its officials. And perhaps, the collective irresponsibility was not the best thing to be inherited from the previous century. Have you ever heard that an official is punished for not providing electricity, water, or any other product to the consumer in time?
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Or, in the worst case, has committed a “hara-kiri”.
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
16.05.1996
