“Let’s struggle against the regime”, “Cancellation”, “No to Plunder”, “Not to Looters,” “Parliamentarians, put down you mandates,” “We are the masters of our country”, “Free and independent Armenia”, “Change of Government”, “Resignation”. The youth left in Liberty Square come up with different mottos, which imply various degrees of radicalism and various program activities. Eventually, everything can certainly lead to regime change. “Since the regime is not changed, since the PSR Committee has not made a decision on cancellation, since the plunder and looters have not vanished, since the parliamentarians are not putting down their mandates, we are not the masters of our country, and Armenia is not a free and independent country, then the only outcome is the change of the government.” But messing up everything together, it is impossible to be perceivable and attractive for the public.
Yes, the unemployed and pensioners wandering in Liberty Square, as well as some students would be fully in favor of any maximalist and radical motto. But so far there are no cases in the history when the pensioners are carrying out a coup. Moreover, a “regime change”. The change, even the minimal progress occurs thanks to the people who have nothing to lose, but what is lost is estimated cheaper than the achievement of the public to which they express in favor of. In fact, “to be expressed in favor of” does not necessarily imply standing in Liberty Square day and night. In today’s, Armenia, those who have anything to lose, first of all, are the owners, people working in private or public institutions, who more or less are receiving normal wages. Therefore, it is necessary to formulate such mottos and such programs whose obvious advocates might also be the people who “have anything to lose”.
Now assume that in February 20, 1988, the motto of the people gathered at Liberty Square were as follows: “Down with the Communist regime”, “Down with the Communists”, “Let’s change the communist government is a democratic one,” “Demirchyan, go away”. It would immediately drive away all people from the movement who were members of the CPSU, also police officers and security guards, but they were feeling themselves first of all as Armenians and considered their duty to contribute to reunification of Karabakh with Armenia. Since February 20, 1988, up to December 1, 1989, when the Parliament (the Communist Supreme Council) passed a resolution on reunification of Armenia and Artsakh, about 21 months elapsed. But the milestone objective was achieved, because not only the Liberty Square but also the working collectives, intellectuals, the healthy part of the Communist nomenclature – all of them were working for one objective.
What remains now is to formulate such a majority-unifying objective and the steps to reach it.
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Aram ABRAHAMYAN
