GOVERNMENTAL PYRAMID WILL COLLAPSE BADLY
Siranuysh Papyan
11:12 12/03/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:
Interview on internal political developments with Hovhannes
Hovhannisyan, candidate of historical sciences
Hovhannes, there is the opinion that the process of state formation
is starting in Armenia and the civil sector is becoming the subject
of these processes. What do you think about the post-electoral events?
I have always been active since 1998, and I was in square during
the actions of Karen Demirchyan, Stepan Demirchyan and Levon
Ter-Petrosyan. Comparing these fights, I notice the change of
consciousness of the society. In 2003, electoral bribes were quite
welcome within the society, but later, its impact decreased. Once
again, we are convinced that our people are wise and the bribes didn’t
help this time. Though they did in the May parliamentary elections.
This change is determined by the fact that we connect the improvement
of our life with one person, and when the moment to vote for a certain
person comes, the political field becomes black and white and people
connect no hopes with the political parties, this is why people don’t
value their votes in parliamentary elections. We should also consider
the increasing number of internet users in Armenia, which arrived to
60%, which is parallel to the growth of consciousness of the society.
To be sincere, the outcome of the last presidential elections was
unexpected for me.
In 2008, the issue was formulated as bandocracy. Now, the issue is
to shift power without bloodshed, and this demand is accompanied by
hunger strike. What do you think about Raffi Hovannisian’s decision
to go on hunger strike?
In 2008, Levon Ter-Petrosyan clearly divided the field into black and
white, which was comprehensible to the society. Colors, sometimes,
are difficult to be perceived, because often you don’t know what color
prevails. I mean Levon Ter-Petrosyan chose one extremity and Raffi
Hovannisian chose the other one. Raffi is trying to be kind and to
convince the power to leave, but it can’t be so. The authorities,
which get billions of dollars just because of being in power, are
absorbed in clans. Raffi is trying to be colorful, but his hunger
strike renders the process black and white, and it can bring about
unpredicted results for the authorities, if they don’t assess this
step as they should.
The refusal to meet Serzh Sargsyan is a strong step which is to give
birth to a new protest wave within the society. I’m sure that Raffi
Hovannisian has been elected president and I’m sure the authority
members, who worked it the field, also know who won. But the processes
in 2008 and 2013 show that the governmental pyramid will collapse in
Armenia badly. Tomorrow’s events will deprive the power members of
the possibility to escape from the country. History shows that when
you repress the protest of masses, it turns into a bloody revolution
someday.
Many say this fight is characterized by the absence of concentration
of one figure and if Raffi is unable to take forward the movement,
the society will be unable to self-organize. Do you agree?
After 2008, the civil society awakened, we witnessed many movements
of the Greens, Mashotots Park etc. These movements helped the society
to wake up. And now the society has many more platforms to raise its
voice than previously. The civil movements pose concrete issues,
but if you want systemic changes, the way is political; political
organization is necessary. This time, even the opposition didn’t
believe its victory. I’m sure if the parties had at least one
representative in each commission, the elections could not be rigged.
From: Baghdasarian