This Struggle Is The Beginning
Interview with Tigran Martirosyan, member of Dem Em Initiative (Dem.am)
During the latest rally the initiative appealed to the Constitutional
Court. What are your expectations from it?
I don’t have big hopes but hope is not altogether zero. Let us see,
four days are left until the decision on postponing the mandatory
component. However, we have always said that we will fight independent
from the decision of the Constitutional Court.
What are the next steps of the initiative? It was announced during the
rally that all the ways of struggle will be used, including the sit-in
and strike.
The idea is civil disobedience. The methods will be chosen on the run.
There are other methods besides a sit-in and a strike. Mechanisms are
being worked out to see what and when we are going to do.
Members of Dem Em Initiative say they will not emigrate but we can see
most people are emigrating or intend to emigrate.
We say the people who are frustrated and have no hopes from the
country emigrate. But people thus lose their identity. If identity is
important to you, you must not emigrate and you must make your country
a country where you want to live. It is true that some people have to
emigrate but the idea of emigrating must be withdrawn from their minds
and help them find other ways to resolve their problems.
Will this movement raise the society’s consciousness and what problems
will later be possible to resolve?
Small objectives cannot bring about global changes. However, a society
is shaped through achievement of small objectives which is able to put
forth and propose solutions for global issues. In order to achieve
solution of global issues and change thinking the society must be able
to resolve small problems. This is the beginning of the fight. A civil
society is shaped which will grow and organize itself and resolve
bigger issues.
How efficient is it to continue the fight with the four parliamentary groups?
The issue must be viewed from different aspects. The issue must be
heard everywhere, including the National Assembly. Cooperation with
political organization will help achieve this goal. In this case, the
four opposition parliamentary groups were that political organization.
Our message to government is: the youth is forming a civil society, is
aware of the responsibility it will assume to walk towards democracy.
This is a very small issue compared with the change that people
expect. Why, this initiative cannot assume a bigger task, such as a
change of government, because it is new and does not have that many
resources. The political organizations should propose the agenda and
have such initiatives support or not support, depending on the agenda.
Youth is becoming more active. This is the key message today.
Siranuysh Papyan,Interviewer
18:53 22/01/2014
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