THE FACTOR OF 500

December 5 2013

On the day of Russia’s President Putin’s visit to Armenia, the
“quality” of young people protesting against the Customs Union (not
against Russia and Putin) inspired some hope. We should state with a
cautious optimism that hundreds of young people grown in Armenia in 22
years, a/ will nowise leave Armenia, b/ want to live in an independent
country, c/ are not afraid of anyone, d/ do not take anyone’s word as
smooth butter. If there is even 500 such young people, it is already
an achievement, because 500 active, with belief young people are
more capable to change the situation than 500 thousand pensioners
dreaming of Communist sausages, who will attend the rallies during
the elections, grumble, blaspheme, curse, then will quietly take
their 5000 drams and will go to the polling station. These several
hundred young people, I hope, would “translate” the public discontent
(including, those of the pensioners) in a modern rational language
and would disseminate the ideas that could truly unite the society. It
is supposable that these ideas would have some nationalistic shade.

Personally, I have no sympathy for nationalism, but the logic of events
suggests that if there must be some ideas in Armenia, it seems to me
that the very nationalistic ideas have the development potential. To
some extent, it is a “response” to the Russian nationalism, Putin’s
“Byzantine” ambitions, to contemptuous, “robe” attitude, to the
encroachments of the Armenian language, culture, and sovereignty, in
general. We must also objectively admit that the “non- nationalistic”
(liberal and socialistic) ideas are in deep crisis.

However, no matter what kind of ideas will develop in Armenia, it is
clear that along with enhancement of the “independent generation”
and expansion of sphere of influence, it is getting more and more
difficult for the government to carry out its controversial decisions,
ranging from accumulative pension, ending with transport fare rise. It
would be more difficult to intimidate people during the election
time through “criminal personalities”, to distribute election bribes,
and get involved in various other fabrications. Perhaps, it would be
difficult for the opposition to develop an agenda with threadbare,
“PANM-NDU” methods. As for us, the former Soviet people, we are
obligated to transfer our modest knowledge to these children, without
useless advice and guidance. “Translating” these knowledge in modern
language is also the task of the next generation.

ARAM ABRAHAMYAN

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress