When former Soviet leader Gorbachev visiting Gyumri devastated by the earthquake, in his response to the prepared question by the journalist Tikhomirov about the “Karabakh” Committee, said, “рвутся к власти” (striving for power), he probably meant that striving for the government is condemnable. The “Karabakh” Committee members were denying this allegation for some time, saying that they do not need power for the sake of the well-being of the people. Knowing many of them personally, I think they genuinely thought so. But when in 1989, it a part of them became the deputies of the then Supreme Council of the Communist Party, the aspirations for power was senseless to hide anymore.
But during the next quarter century, the tradition seems to be preserved and the people now are still too ashamed to confess that they strive for positions or a seat in the parliament and usually, in response to inquiries on this subject, they are limited to common formulations about the “devoted to the nation”. Because of this very formed tradition, when the Dashnak party announced yesterday that it is in principle ready to form a coalition with RPA and thus have its presence in the Parliament, it rose vigorous upset. In its “age-old” history, ARF can be accused of many things but not in this case. Speak of its own plans directly, in my opinion, is more honest than saying that you do not care of the mandates, or play an opposition, curse and complain and then sell this complaint at a proper price.
It seems to me that the more a person says that he is engaged in the politics, the more he voices that he wants to become an MP or a minister, the better. It is bad when they conceal this desire with bombastic words. It is bad when the true objective is to have 5 seats in the parliament but it is said that now the people will make a fist, will stand up and …
If the person thinks that he can benefit the state (by leaving the nation and the people aside), by taking this or that position, he must give up the false piety and announce first of all to his own political force and then to the society that his plans and ideas will become a reality in the case when he becomes the leader of this sphere. He should not pretend to be innocent, “I am a party soldier and as the party decides, so it will be”. If it is an opposition, it should not promise “let us first overthrow them, then we will see.” No, it must say what he is going to do in his visualized sphere and who will be his teammates.
And when the person or the party is “modestly” silent about his plans, when he uses only bombastic words about the “nation” and the “homeland”, there is a high probability that after having a seat in the executive or legislative, he will be “devoted” to his personal well-being.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
