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  • Government Of Myths

    GOVERNMENT OF MYTHS

    Lragir.am
    http://www.lragir.am/src/index.ph p?id=society&pid=14977
    17:32:19 - 24/08/2009

    Interview By Siranuish Papyan

    Interview with Ara Nedolyan, theatrical critic and socialist

    What is government and what are its mechanisms and functions, in
    your opinion?

    Government is a simple physical phenomenon. When we say government, we
    mean the government of people, of society. As a rule, we notice that
    as soon as people appear in the government they change. I first felt
    this in the army. When one of our friends became sergeant, everyone
    was happy, but after the appointment he became a different person,
    from our point of view, a bad guy, an official who exercises power. And
    this controversy took place under all the governments I've seen in my
    life. I started doubting the notion of government, state. When I say
    government, I imagine the boss sitting in an office and handling human
    fates. I started thinking what can replace the governor. One must
    think that a person consciously accepts only a government in which
    he participates, from which he is not separated. It is possible only
    in case he is part of that government. He does not entitle someone
    to government but he is part of government. It is possible only in
    the case of college government when that college is not restricted,
    where I can be or not to be, I can be in different colleges, and
    everyone else can be in one or several colleges. It resembles the
    soviets created after the February revolution.

    How would you describe the nature and structure of government in
    Armenia?

    When the government becomes government illegitimately, insulting
    people, enters the office and carries out the functions of government
    in an unsolicited way, it starts looking for a moral compensation. It
    finds people or groups of people who do not have that natural feeling
    of insult and are ready to make a deal with the government. These
    groups can be both in Armenia and outside Armenia. In other words,
    international organizations which are ready to deal with the government
    which committed a moral crime.

    The moral offense is that they decided that they are the government,
    a pyramid government based on violence. These people always need a
    group of friends who accept them the way they are. Therefore, the
    government which is not popular, collegial, soviet is always looking
    for an entourage from marginal groups where the social interest is
    ignored for personal progress.

    So, what kind of a government is this?

    This is a government which has got marginal friends from everywhere
    possible. In other words, it finds people and organizations in the
    world and in the country which cannot deal with the normal society.

    And since the like finds the like, are they so similar?

    Yes, actually it is true. None of these people would be acceptable,
    open, agreeable to a normal society. Therefore the government has
    appeared in this false situation that it is government and uses the
    entire mythology created during millennia: as if the government knows
    something that others do not. Yes it knows what must not be known,
    it knows how to live ignoring other people's rights, justice. They
    shape different imaginary, religion-like values, as if power is
    a secret and religious value, as if it knows something that the
    naïve majority does not know, and it must, it has to ignore moral,
    legal constitutional norms for the sake of special aims, to tackle
    dangers which the majority does not see. In other words, they create a
    fantastic worldview which is typical of alienated groups, governments,
    which are guided by an A type logic and morality, rather than invented
    and strange ways of thinking.

    They say people deserve the government they have. Do we deserve the
    government we have?

    In absolute terms, I would say the contrary, no people deserve the
    government they have. It is a test on all peoples which lasts as
    long as they do not know the way to overcome that test, until they
    realize that one cannot trust their live to anyone, the hero, the wise,
    the moral, the just, not even God. In other words, a person looks in
    the mirror and is afraid of himself, he says there is surely someone
    better whom I can trust my government.

    Returning the question I will say that the people deserve the
    government who are around it, and only they deserve that government.

    As I said, such consciousness occurred after the
    revolution. Afterwards, all the soviets turned into pyramids under
    the influence of fear, war, the monarch ruled, and Lenin's profound
    idea that even the cook can rule a country was destroyed. Now Armenia
    must realize that it need not fear, it cannot be worse than it is now,
    and one can easily adopt democratic governance. Armenia is very safe
    now, the only danger comes from the logic of self-alienation. And
    the adoption of popular government does not pose any threat.

    But it poses danger to the government.

    Certainly, what I am saying may sound revolutionary but it can be done
    very easily. For instance, the first step could be transformation from
    a presidential into a parliamentary government. Then this principle
    would be applied lower and lower, for instance the government
    could be replaced by a regional council, the mayor is replaced by
    the community council, etc, and afterwards all the agencies of the
    government and the society could be turned into colleges, including
    heads of departments, party leaders, religious leaders, directors,
    editors-in-chief, generals, officers, managers...

    In your opinion, what is the problem of the state and the government?

    The government, looking for friends, has something to pay for
    that friendship. It is government. In other words, the government
    imagines that it has power and pays power for friendship. Today we run
    across a very strange phenomenon when the criminal world rules the
    policemen, in other words, the police imagine that they have power
    and do not dare to share it with the society and share power with a
    marginal group. Power is a burden which is always perverted. There
    is a saying that politics is the way to avoid responsibility. It is
    really a heavy burden, and the only way out is to share it with all
    the people. People must be aware that there is such a heavy burden,
    and it is impossible to trust that to someone or some group. We all
    must carry that weight. And the government overlaps with the society
    in the present stage of human evolution.

    Does the Armenian government fulfill its functions? Whom does it
    represent, whose interests does it protect?

    I remember all the governments that I have seen. First, the
    soviet government was happy to lose to the government of the
    second republic. In the elections in the 1990s it cheered the
    All-Armenian National Movement and resigned from politics and was
    reluctant to remain in politics, to continue to fight for power
    in the next election. It gave off the burden with a sense of tired
    satisfaction. Levon Ter-Petrosyan was also aware that he had to rid of
    that heavy burden, and he easily did that at a convenient time. Robert
    Kocharyan with an uneasy sense in his body and a desperate facial
    expression did not resemble a person who had reached the desired
    goal, gained power. Maybe he got used to that during ten years but
    he handed power with the same ease. Serge Sargsyan's face looks
    very unhappy. It shows that power is a heavy burden. People invent
    fantastic consolations, find irresponsible social groups with whom
    they share power.

    As to the question, the government protects private interests, that
    is interests which cannot be common. A simple example. I walk along
    the coast of the lake Sevan but I cannot go close, fences, private
    property, "amenities"... The government protects the interests of their
    owners but cannot protect my interest, right and freedom to walk on
    the coast of the lake Sevan as a citizen, as a citizen of the world.

    Is the government of Armenia adequate to the problems, the challenges
    that Armenia and the world are facing?

    There are two languages in the world, the first is the language
    of ideas, principles, expediency, the second is the language of
    private interests, deals. Both languages are equally used in the
    world. We choose the language for others to talk to us. For instance,
    imagine President Obama has to solve some problem with Armenia. He
    is not partial, neither loves nor hates. He consults his advisers to
    decide what language to use to solve that problem with Armenia. Is it
    worthwhile to speak in terms of ideas, meaning, morality? Looking at
    the Armenian government, he understands that it is meaningless. He
    asks his adviser what other language they can use to solve that
    problem. And since we said that this government can protect only
    personal interests, he can communicate in terms of personal interests.

    In what way can the society restore its right to shape government?

    There are two ways. The first is to alter the government radically to
    resemble at least formally to a collegial government. In other words,
    when you demand reforms, you should be aware what you are demanding,
    you should understand that the notion of a boss should be eliminated,
    it should be replaced by colleges. Second, the border between the
    government and the society should be eliminated, in other words,
    government agencies should be created in the society, agencies which
    have no walls, and everyone can participate in them. It is necessary
    to create serious and authoritative social government agencies,
    organizations not to have a tsar.

    So when will they start talking to us in terms of meaning?

    I think it can happen at any time. They talk in terms of meaning to
    peoples and societies, they talk in terms of instinct with alienated
    elites. As soon as it is necessary to talk to the society to solve
    a problem in Armenia, and people have the least organization to have
    someone speak on their behalf, any force will have to talk in terms
    of meaning. Otherwise, the language the shepherd speaks to the sheep
    is quite enough.

    In your opinion, is the society aware of and does it participate in
    public governance, decision making?

    Certainly, the government is unaware, it is not its business, and
    as soon as you try to know, the government says with surprise: it is
    not your business, don't poke your nose into our affairs, this is a
    system of support of private interests. I cannot go to the office of
    Gagik Tsarukyan and say why are doing this and that. The government
    agencies are similar offices, and the society feels that poking its
    nose into private interests is not its business.

    What kind of government would you like to have in Armenia?

    When what I said comes true, as you said, people will deserve their
    government. In other words, we will know and maybe we will be surprised
    that those qualities are higher than we had thought.
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