My latest conversation with a taxi driver went as follows (I tried to retell this using the most proper language possible):
“What will the future of this country be like? You’re more informed as a journalist.”
“I am not informed about the country’s future.”
“They want to overthrow Nikol. Will they succeed?”
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“I do not think so if that is the most important issue.”
“But will Nikol do what he says he will? Will he punish the former regime?”
“To be honest, I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter that much to me. If he needs to, he can hang everyone from the same tree. Nikol did what he did: we suffered 4-5 thousand casualties and lost 70 percent of Artsakh.”
“Is Nikol to blame for that?”
“If I am the commander of a military base and my arsenal explodes under my command, who is to blame for that?”
“But people are saying that treason occurred, people are saying lots of things…”
“I do not think treason occurred. I think chaos is what happened.”
“Fine. What will be the future of this country?”
I have held this conversation dozens of times over the past several months. The people I converse with are not so interested in the terrible military defeat; they want to know if Nikol will stay in power or not. In other words, “During Serzh’s administration…,” “But the former regime stole from the country” arguments are so powerful (for objective reasons) that the catastrophe that occurred at the fault of the current government becomes invisible in the face of these arguments.
According to a survey carried out by the Marketing Professional Group organization, 38.8 percent of people surveyed in Armenia believe that Nikol Pashinyan should stay in power. Of those surveyed, 43.6 percent believe that he should resign. To be honest, the majority of those who converse with me who fall in the 38.8 percent have the same logic as the aforementioned taxi driver.
But I have said several times that I care more about quality than quantity. And from that perspective, the rally of Pashinyan’s supporters on Thursday is important. According to data from a pro-government NGO, around 10,000 people gathered on Republic Square. Let’s say that’s true. What layer of society participated in the rally? Governors, officials, deputies, and others who have personal interests at stake don’t count. The majority of participants were people from my generation who came with the demands of “punishing the former regime” and “putting an end to the ‘velvet’ attitude.”
And now let’s remember who established the aura of the same square in 2018: bright young people (including my own family members) who were interested in creating a new Armenia. The majority of them either grew indifferent or, even worse, are calling upon the Prime Minister to resign (if we are to put it nicely).
Everyone’s opinion is important, whether it be the taxi driver, grandmothers showing their claws, or disappointed young people. But it is more important that they live in Armenia alongside one another.
Aram Abrahamyan
