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"REGRET IS NOT A POLITICAL CATEGORY, A DECISION TO RETURN A1+ MUST BE MADE," RUBEN HAKOBYAN SAYS
http://www.aravot.am/en/2012/10/05/117247/
October 5, 2012 21:26
"Depriving A1+ of airtime was the biggest mistake," yesterday
Samvel Farmanyan, a Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) MP, made this
assessment during his speech in the National Assembly. Another RPA MP,
Margarit Yesayan, expressed hope that A1+ will get a license and will
return to broadcasting during this government's term in office. Today
www.aravot.am asked Ruben Hayrapetyan, the leader of the Heritage Party
parliamentary group, in this regard whether we could assume from the
stern assessments of the 2 RPA MPs that this government regretted about
that serious sin of the former government and wanted to expiate the
sins of the former government now, before the presidential election. In
Ruben Hakobyan's words, "Regret is not a political category. One can
express regret with a toast; one can express regret with a speech. When
a decision to return A1+ to broadcasting is made, I will understand
that and will make my assessment. A decision must be made."
Mr. Hakobyan informed that he was going to meet with the
representatives of A1+ in the short-run and to find out at what stage
this issue was, because he, along with a few MPs, intended to bring
that issue to the National Assembly agenda, "Every one of us has an
obligation to A1+, because at the time when the political stage was
completely closed, they could shoot at an opposition party in broad
daylight and avoid punishment, the only place, that small window where
one could come and say to the people what was going on in the country,
the only bold and normal place was A1+. And we are under obligation.
It is not that it happened to us. The people were able to understand
through it what was going on. Unfortunately, we, both the government
and the opposition, were not able to carry out our
obligation to A1+ with a joint program. I am very happy now that A1+
is broadcasting on ArmNews. I am happy insofar as it can appear and
say 'here I am, folks.'"
In response to a question whether A1+ would be able to have as much
freedom as it had had before, Ruben Hakobyan said, "You know what,
times have changed. It is not completely its element. Perhaps,
there is an issue of communication here, but it has found a path
to communicate its message. Times have changed - in the past, they
would shoot people dead in broad daylight and the response had to be
adequate and very sharp. When I was a guest on A1+, I didn't speak
like I speak today, because my friend's murder for political reasons
was before my eyes." In response to our question whether we had made
progress in that sense, he said, "Time makes progress, because it
is unimaginable that one will always be in the same condition. It is
natural. On September 26, 1996, they threw an MP on the floor in that
same meeting hall and were kicking him - say politicians like Paruyr
Hayrikyan or Vazgen Manukyan - they hit him as if in the boxing ring,
whereas today there is no such thing. Certainly, the parliament has
become a bit more civilized. We shouldn't say that it has come to
its senses etc., but time has made certain corrections. Now they have
been to Europe, come back or I don't know what has happened to them,
they have changed. The language and audience A1+ had or the guests
in the studio were absolutely different at the time. After I saw
my friend be murdered in broad daylight, naturally, my language and
attitude had to be different."
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
http://www.aravot.am/en/2012/10/05/117247/
October 5, 2012 21:26
"Depriving A1+ of airtime was the biggest mistake," yesterday
Samvel Farmanyan, a Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) MP, made this
assessment during his speech in the National Assembly. Another RPA MP,
Margarit Yesayan, expressed hope that A1+ will get a license and will
return to broadcasting during this government's term in office. Today
www.aravot.am asked Ruben Hayrapetyan, the leader of the Heritage Party
parliamentary group, in this regard whether we could assume from the
stern assessments of the 2 RPA MPs that this government regretted about
that serious sin of the former government and wanted to expiate the
sins of the former government now, before the presidential election. In
Ruben Hakobyan's words, "Regret is not a political category. One can
express regret with a toast; one can express regret with a speech. When
a decision to return A1+ to broadcasting is made, I will understand
that and will make my assessment. A decision must be made."
Mr. Hakobyan informed that he was going to meet with the
representatives of A1+ in the short-run and to find out at what stage
this issue was, because he, along with a few MPs, intended to bring
that issue to the National Assembly agenda, "Every one of us has an
obligation to A1+, because at the time when the political stage was
completely closed, they could shoot at an opposition party in broad
daylight and avoid punishment, the only place, that small window where
one could come and say to the people what was going on in the country,
the only bold and normal place was A1+. And we are under obligation.
It is not that it happened to us. The people were able to understand
through it what was going on. Unfortunately, we, both the government
and the opposition, were not able to carry out our
obligation to A1+ with a joint program. I am very happy now that A1+
is broadcasting on ArmNews. I am happy insofar as it can appear and
say 'here I am, folks.'"
In response to a question whether A1+ would be able to have as much
freedom as it had had before, Ruben Hakobyan said, "You know what,
times have changed. It is not completely its element. Perhaps,
there is an issue of communication here, but it has found a path
to communicate its message. Times have changed - in the past, they
would shoot people dead in broad daylight and the response had to be
adequate and very sharp. When I was a guest on A1+, I didn't speak
like I speak today, because my friend's murder for political reasons
was before my eyes." In response to our question whether we had made
progress in that sense, he said, "Time makes progress, because it
is unimaginable that one will always be in the same condition. It is
natural. On September 26, 1996, they threw an MP on the floor in that
same meeting hall and were kicking him - say politicians like Paruyr
Hayrikyan or Vazgen Manukyan - they hit him as if in the boxing ring,
whereas today there is no such thing. Certainly, the parliament has
become a bit more civilized. We shouldn't say that it has come to
its senses etc., but time has made certain corrections. Now they have
been to Europe, come back or I don't know what has happened to them,
they have changed. The language and audience A1+ had or the guests
in the studio were absolutely different at the time. After I saw
my friend be murdered in broad daylight, naturally, my language and
attitude had to be different."
Hripsime JEBEJYAN