And the solution is not to replace the “bad guys” with “good guys.”
Revolutions always raise hope among the masses. The promises of the revolutionaries resonate in the hearts of the citizens. For example, it is said: “Now we will say goodbye to the damned past; we will form a new person, a new army, a new school, and new courts.”
The “last case” of promises and expectations formed on their basis is before our eyes; it is the “failure story” of the 2018 revolution. According to the latest revolutionary stories, the previous authorities were corrupt, thinking only of their stomachs and chairs; now they will be replaced by ideological devotees who will live in one-room apartments with a piece of dry bread and devote 24 hours a day to building a bright future. In addition, oppositionists were thrown into prisons before, but now democracy will flourish, and anyone will criticize the authorities as they wish.
As a rule, such romantic notions are shattered upon meeting the bitter reality. So it was this time too. It turned out very quickly that the “new” people are inclined to have luxury cars and private houses in precisely the same way; they want to travel and “shopping” at the expense of the state, just like the “old” ones. They also have their favorite oligarchs, to whom the tasty morsels of government orders reach. They cling to their seats and persecute their opponents exactly the same way.
Read also
Law enforcement bodies remain in the political power’s pocket, and a special “Cheka” is appointed to head the courts, represented by the Supreme Judicial Council, so that the courts do not suddenly become independent. People continue to be beaten in police stations, and (as an “innovation”) lawyers are also beaten.
What is the reason that the promised reforms cannot be implemented? The simplistic explanation is that “bad guys” were in power “during Serzh,” and then they were replaced by equally “bad guys.” And with that illusion, there is hope that “good guys” who are not interested in hedonistic pleasures will finally come in their place, and these devotees will save the country with their modesty and abstinence. However, these are vain hopes. The new system is not created by the heroic efforts of fanatics, even if such selfless people miraculously appear in the political arena. That system is created by new social demands (“from below”) and, on the other hand, by new ideas (“above”), and “above” and “below” must “meet” each other and mutually agree with each other.
In the case of Armenia, neither the revolution nor a palace, military, or any other coup will bring the desired changes. There will only be undesirable or, as we have seen, disastrous consequences. That is what happened in the case of the 2018 revolution.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
“Aravot” daily newspaper, 04.07.2023
