My generation grew up in a period when the Central Committee or Regional Committee members’ black Volga GAZ-24s, their summer cottages, “closed shops” and so on were causing grin and contempt among my friends. Experts were engaged in their work, middle-class were engaged in YCL and Communist Party career. Politics? Ugh! It is not a task proper for a normal person. Squabbles, corrupt, useless speeches – we should stay far away from all of this, and be poor and proud. Today, in my opinion, this is an outdated approach.
But, I must admit that I am unable to overcome these snobbism in me. My subconscious, to put it mildly, antipathy towards politics wins all kinds of rational arguments. Nevertheless, I wish I would believe that the next generation that grew up in different conditions, does not share my antipathy. Today’s Armenian reality does not give specific grounds for it, and by saying “different conditions” I mean absolutely not this National Assembly, where the main mass of the staff does not differ much from the Central Committee, nor the governors’ offices, which are very much reminiscent of regional committees.
But a part of today’s young people has the opportunity to obtain broad and comprehensive information, particularly about who and for what is involved in politics in developed countries, and how the political career making “elevators” are working. There are also too many dishonest, corrupt politicians there, but mostly there are no ignorant, imbecile and illiterate people. It is excluded to make a wrong and state-risky decision there for the very reason that the decision-makers do not have enough knowledge and outlook; they cannot read the laws and other documents.
Extreme dilettantism and household-level judgments about the state problems, which we hear from the politicians in the last 20 years, are made impossible there. These observations are not void of provincial slyness, but the latter cannot replace the knowledge and the intelligence.
But if the politicians are so, it still does not mean that politics in itself is as such. I hope that the intelligence of the new generation who do not have “the traces of the Soviet Union,” would not have an aversion to politics, and would enter into their new and distinct agenda, according to which (do not be surprised) the politics is a means to make the public relations more honest and pure. Today’s young party members, as a rule, are totally under overwhelming influence by “senior fellows”, but beyond the system, I see brilliant young people.
Parallel to this, one more important thing will happen: our attitude towards wealth and the riche people will change. They will no longer be a subject of envy and hatred, would not be perceived as people-looting bandits. It seems to me that we would be changed when we will start applauding those who have reached success in any field (also, business).
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
