InternationalThe murky political waters
Published: Saturday February 16, 2008 in Living in Armenia
Pollsters, political pundits, taxi drivers, sociologists, political scientists, journalists, vegetable vendors, students, old people, young people, co-workers, politicians, janitors, city officials. Everybody in Armenia is consumed by the upcoming presidential elections.
The only ones that have yet to to come in on the side of this or that candidate are possibly the stray dogs of Yerevan. But not to worry, I hear they're planning on holding an extraordinary congress this weekend to decide to support the one person who cares the least about them. Maybe then they can continue to exist among the garbage heaps of our fair city unhindered.
There are currently nine contenders for the presidency. While four or five of them really believe they have a shot at it, the rest are either single-issue candidates or there to realize someone else's agenda or simply window dressing. However, they all claim to have a vision, a new direction, creative solutions to very complex and deeply rooted problems. Some are political veterans, others are newcomers and relatively unknown, some are young and brash, others resolute with clearly defined policies. One reportedly has too much money and time on his hands and then there's the one who has been there and done that. They have been going from town to town, village to village, meeting and greeting, kissing babies, shaking hands, making promises. It all started out nice enough but has now turned ugly and, excuse me gentlemen but rather unladylike.
To be caught up in the tide of history can be a privilege but also a very heavy burden. Whether you are a witness or a pivotal figure in the force of change swirling at your feet, you can't help but be moved. The fluidity of events and ensuing chaos can leave you gasping for air. You can almost feel the wind exiting your lungs as they slowly and oh, so gently collapse. And everything slows down and time no longer feels the need to move forward, no matter how much you cajole or beg it to.
There are many of us who would like time to move a little bit faster and for February 19 to be a distant memory. The last several weeks have left all of us in a state resembling something close to despair. Despair that the country might unravel, that figures once thought to have been left behind for history and future generations to judge have come back to life with a vengeance. Rhetoric and demagoguery have become a mainstream practice or a vile way of vote grabbing. Let's not even talk about coercion, bribery, vote rigging or the fear factor. And then there are the logical alliances that should have happened but didn't materialize and in their place political forces once thought incompatible are aligning themselves with each other.
And then there are those of us who can neither vote nor take an active, public role in the elections. We can write about them and talk about them, and trust me we do. We discuss, argue, analyze, diagnose, agree then disagree, cringe at the absurdity, but most of all we grieve for the future that just might be compromised. The political field has become polluted and murky. So many accusations, so many half-truths are being circulated; accusations of treason; the potently false claims that some political forces were prepared to sell Meghri thus denying Armenia a border with Iran; allegations of complicity in the murders of October 27, 1999, when the prime minister of Armenia and speaker of the parliament along with others were shot dead in the National Assembly; while Turkey and Azerbaijan continue on their belligerence and isolation of the country irresponsible leaders are telling us to play nice and be friends because they might reciprocate; demagoguery about the "Karabakh clan" inciting further division and mistrust.
From this vantage point unrest appears to be inevitable. That line between integrity and immorality has been crossed and it seems there's no turning back. There's too much at stake for some who claim that they will continue to struggle in the name of their warped perception of public service but their personal "honor" and vested financial interests are the factors that determine this journey. Short films have been produced by two camps - that of Serge Sargsian against Levon Ter-Petrossian and vice versa. I am embarrassed and feel a sense of shame when I watch the new levels these politicians have sunk to. Pro-government and anti-government print media in the country are on a free for all - all bets off, all gloves off. The things that are being written are disgraceful and irresponsible. They are feeding this filth to a weary population only inciting incohesion for which they will not be called to answer for.
The situation has deteriorated to such levels that the Supreme Council of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation released a statement on February 13 calling for calm, followed the next day by the deputy leader of the Country of Laws Party. It certainly is a strange, strange set of circumstances that has led us to this particular juncture. While Levon Ter-Petrossian's re-emergence has spoken to the heart of the disenfranchised and given that particular segment a glimmer of hope for fundamental change ultimately eradicating Serge Sargsian's aura of inevitability, it has also contributed to the rapidly deteriorating tense atmosphere. Neither Levon Ter-Petrossian nor Serge Sargsian are talking about their policies, nor their vision. They have not remained on point but have strayed from the real issues of this campaign. Everybody and their grandmother is being accused of collusion, treason, and every other national crime imaginable.
What is it that people should expect from presidential candidates? They should expect but most importantly they deserve to hear policies, ideas, solutions, proposals. They need to feel that their next president will serve them with integrity, common sense, sound economic policies while preserving national values and protecting their borders. It angers me to no end that the voice of those candidate(s) who are engaging the populace in an honest dialogue are being drowned out by the shrieks of accusations by men who forget that this is not child's play. Shame on all those who are forsaking this country to further their grip on power. Shame on all those whose irresponsibility is risking the very viability of this country. Shame on all those who allow themselves to be manipulated. And shame on all those who choose to remain silent.
