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>From Criminal to Political System?
Naira Hayrumyan
16:25 12/12/2012
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/index.php/eng/0/comments/view/28394
Armenia had a chance for its first political election but apparently
Serzh Sargsyan will not have political opponents. Meanwhile, for the
first time he tried to put forth a political agenda which included the
issues of the foreign political focus and establishment of checks and
balances.
The Armenian political forces proved unready for a political election.
It is possible that over the past 20 years the elections have been
held by totally different rules, and over the past 10-15 years the
criminal factor have been dominant. There was a criminal system in
Armenia with the father at the head and a distinct hierarchy which did
not allow for alternative opinions and dealt cruelly with dissidents.
In this system elections have been reduced to a struggle of physical
forces, resources and authority. Besides, since the Armenian criminal
system is part of the post-soviet or Russian system, the `father' in
Armenia was the deputy of the Russian `father'.
There was a chance to change this situation during the presidential
election of 2013. Being part of this system, Serzh Sargsyan proposed a
political agenda. He declared to step on the track for EU integration
and subsequent withdrawal from the Russian criminal hierarchy.
Besides, he proposed a two-party system with the help of which it
would be possible to resolve internal affairs.
No doubt, Serzh Sargsyan's proposals were not complete, perhaps they
were necessitated by some factors, and he reserved for himself a great
advantage by offering `equal' competitive conditions. However, it is
frightening that no political force in Armenia could respond to this
political challenge. In fact, all the parties remained in the old
`criminal' system which chooses the father, obeys him, and all it is
capable of is internal intrigues.
Gagik Tsarukyan has been unable to fight his inhibition and enter into
a confrontation because to him it is not a political race but
disobedience to the father. He knows that he will not be forgiven for
this in his own world but in the new political world the rejection of
political race is not forgiven.
Judging by the behavior of the Armenian National Congress and the ARF
they also did not accept the political challenge. Perhaps they think
that accepting Serzh Sargsyan's challenge is the same as recognizing
his advantage. However, by rejecting the political race they admitted
their political failure. They do not express opinions on the agenda
proposed by Serzh Sargsyan which means they look at the political race
from another point of view.
Who will accept Serzh Sargsyan's political challenge? Are the experts
right who claim that Serzh Sargsyan's political strategists have
conceived a non-losing agenda? Now either Serzh Sargsyan's opponents
will have to confess that his agenda is more progressive and support
it or act against EU integration and withdrawal from the post-Soviet
criminal space.
This is a difficult process, and political actors who would like to
accept this challenge will have to answer these questions.
However, in order to compete with Serzh Sargsyan they will have to
indicate more effective ways, highlight Serzh Sargsyan's mistakes,
reveal his policy of imitation. Who in Armenia is able to do this?
Only a person who thinks horizontally, not hierarchically.
Naira Hayrumyan
16:25 12/12/2012
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/index.php/eng/0/comments/view/28394
Armenia had a chance for its first political election but apparently
Serzh Sargsyan will not have political opponents. Meanwhile, for the
first time he tried to put forth a political agenda which included the
issues of the foreign political focus and establishment of checks and
balances.
The Armenian political forces proved unready for a political election.
It is possible that over the past 20 years the elections have been
held by totally different rules, and over the past 10-15 years the
criminal factor have been dominant. There was a criminal system in
Armenia with the father at the head and a distinct hierarchy which did
not allow for alternative opinions and dealt cruelly with dissidents.
In this system elections have been reduced to a struggle of physical
forces, resources and authority. Besides, since the Armenian criminal
system is part of the post-soviet or Russian system, the `father' in
Armenia was the deputy of the Russian `father'.
There was a chance to change this situation during the presidential
election of 2013. Being part of this system, Serzh Sargsyan proposed a
political agenda. He declared to step on the track for EU integration
and subsequent withdrawal from the Russian criminal hierarchy.
Besides, he proposed a two-party system with the help of which it
would be possible to resolve internal affairs.
No doubt, Serzh Sargsyan's proposals were not complete, perhaps they
were necessitated by some factors, and he reserved for himself a great
advantage by offering `equal' competitive conditions. However, it is
frightening that no political force in Armenia could respond to this
political challenge. In fact, all the parties remained in the old
`criminal' system which chooses the father, obeys him, and all it is
capable of is internal intrigues.
Gagik Tsarukyan has been unable to fight his inhibition and enter into
a confrontation because to him it is not a political race but
disobedience to the father. He knows that he will not be forgiven for
this in his own world but in the new political world the rejection of
political race is not forgiven.
Judging by the behavior of the Armenian National Congress and the ARF
they also did not accept the political challenge. Perhaps they think
that accepting Serzh Sargsyan's challenge is the same as recognizing
his advantage. However, by rejecting the political race they admitted
their political failure. They do not express opinions on the agenda
proposed by Serzh Sargsyan which means they look at the political race
from another point of view.
Who will accept Serzh Sargsyan's political challenge? Are the experts
right who claim that Serzh Sargsyan's political strategists have
conceived a non-losing agenda? Now either Serzh Sargsyan's opponents
will have to confess that his agenda is more progressive and support
it or act against EU integration and withdrawal from the post-Soviet
criminal space.
This is a difficult process, and political actors who would like to
accept this challenge will have to answer these questions.
However, in order to compete with Serzh Sargsyan they will have to
indicate more effective ways, highlight Serzh Sargsyan's mistakes,
reveal his policy of imitation. Who in Armenia is able to do this?
Only a person who thinks horizontally, not hierarchically.