I can imagine what revelry will be going on this week on Facebook, websites and newspapers. Galust Sahakyan, seems it goes almost without saying. Any publicist, analyst, as well as ordinary user considers it its duty to say a couple of kind words addressed to the almost Speaker of the National Assembly.
In fact, I cannot help complaining a bit about the Facebook “genres”. Suppose, a 20- year-old girl, an activist, “shares” the official information that “the President of Armenia has accepted this-or-that person” and writes a comment underneath: “What nonsense!” Forty ‘Like’ underneath and new comments: “bravo”, “well done”, “what courage”, “they must be …forever”. Who will say,
a/ Should one really have courage to write such things?
b/ Is this journalism, oration, or civic activism?
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Comments of such genre addressed to Galust Sahakyan would happen more. The sentiment of the society to this figure is largely negative, and it is contribute by “targeted” campaign of the opposition, which, for example, was not available during Hovik Abrahamyan, and personal features of Galust Sahakyan. Usually, his complex grammatical structured speech contains cynicism, insult, and scorn towards the opponents. If the government intends to raise the level of public discontent then by Galust Sahakyan’s nomination this goal is totally achieved. Sometimes, they write that the Republican Party has “reformist” and “retrograde” wings, and allegedly Galust Sahakyan’s nomination means defeat of “reformist” wing. This seems to me is a delusion. RPA is a solid bureaucratic structure that exists solely due to administrative leverages, and which will collapse the next day of losing these levers. Like, it was with ANM in 1994-97. Like, “Our Home is Russia” or the “United Russia”. In such parties as in the CPSU, no ideological struggle is taking place, there is a struggle of different groups, and, sometimes, different generations for leverage. Eduard Sharmazanov’s or Hovhannes Sahakyan’s generation in RPA is not more advanced than of Galust Sahakyan. Although, we should admit that nomination of any of these young people would not raise so stormy uprising as this one.
However, with all of this, there should be reason of why the very Galust Sahakyan was nominated for this position. I think that the main reason is that after the withdrawal of Rile of Law party, the resources of the Republican Party in the National Assembly are reduced. In case of boycotting, to hold the desired voting of the rest, it will be necessary to provide the presence of at least 66 Deputies. The RPA faction has 70 Deputies. Consequently, some strains are required to provide the presence of almost all RPA MPs. What Galust Sahakyan was doing as a leader of the faction supported by Hovik Abrahamyan, now, in the absence of the latter, he must do it as a Speaker of the National Assembly. No one from young Republicans will be able to bring Shmays, Tokhmakh, generals and the rest to the hall and call them to order. Therefore, Galust Sahakyan is first and foremost necessary for smooth passing of Republican’s decisions in this changed situation.
The NA nominated Speaker has one more advantage over numerous politicians, including the opposition. He is able to communicate with the media without complexes. No matter how the journalists “pickax” Galust Sahakyan, he is quietly answering their sharpest questions. Whereas, we have politicians who give interviews only to “their” media, or when any “undesired” media representative approaches them, they take the pose of an “offended virtue.”
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
