I, frankly speaking, did not understand why our government authorities have decided to raise the price of electricity. If we admit that there exists a poor management by the “Electric Networks of Armenia”, about which the same authorities are talking, then this company should be promptly deprived of the license and find a more effective manager. Therefore, there is no political will to do so. Or, some circles of the authorities make use of, to say the least, non-transparent operation of the ENA. More likely, the latter is caused by the first one.
But we had also to predict that the active part of the society will protest. Hardly anyone’s tongue will revolve to say that this protest is ungrounded and unjust. On the contrary, these protests are talking about some sort of maturity of the civil society. Note that there was a greater rise two years ago, about 30 percent, similarly and perhaps more ungrounded. But at that time, there were no protests of this scale. Perhaps, one of the reasons was that they were trying in parallel to raise the public transport fares in Yerevan, and the attention of the activists was distracted on this issue.
Now, the young men, it seems, are more mindful, and it is very good. What remains is for the organizers of this fight to act reasonably. Saying “reasonable”, I, first of all, mean two things. Firstly, try not to counter to the police on every occasion and by all means and do everything for being detained and later to protest. This is not the best tactics. Secondly, keep the political forces in an adequate distance, not to push them away, but also not to subdue to their games.
Naturally, the party members will try using any gathering, which has more than one thousand people gathered in one place to advance their agenda. This agenda, as a rule, is an impasse. It is similar to the situation in agriculture when you, let’s say, are seeding a new type of tomato, but after the second or the third harvest, this “new one” as a result of pollination becomes the type that dominates in the garden. The delving into the political swamp leads approximately to the same results, and everything ends with “Let’s go to capture Baghramyan 26” unrealistic calls.
Being reasonable, in my view, means also being tolerant. When I hear the formulation that “he who does not do (or say) this way or the other way, he is not Armenian”, I feel an irresistible desire to act as a “non-Armenian”. Because setting such a high benchmark for unmistakability of your own actions reminds me of a Bolshevik-style blackmail. To the point, an attempt different from the “dominated garden” was already been conducted. I mean “I Am Against” movement.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
