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MENSOIAN: DO POLITICAL PARTIES HAVE A DUTY TO PARTICIPATE?
by Michael Mensoian
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/02/19/mensoian-do-political-parties-have-a-duty-to-participate/
February 19, 2013
The Feb. 18, 2013 Armenian presidential elections had only a handful
of political parties willing or able to oppose the reelection of
President Serge Sarkisian of the Republican Party. Some political
parties had decided to sit out the election rather than have their
campaign fall victim to the usual political misconduct and voting
irregularities that are endemic to elections in Armenia. Their
rationale is that participation adds legitimacy to a seriously flawed
election process. Although these irregularities can be persuasive
reasons to boycott an election, it is a decision that abdicates a
party's responsibility to the voters and directly contributes to the
electorate remaining cynical and resigned to accepting conditions
detrimental to their well-being.
A campaign office for President Sarkisian in Yerevan. (Photo: The
Armenian Weekly) Political parties must weigh the effect that sitting
out an election can have against the benefits that could accrue if
they were to mount effective campaigns. When confronted by these
vexing questions, party leaders should remember the many times in
the glorious history of our people that soldiers and fedayees engaged
in battle because it was considered their honorable duty to protect
their nation-against all odds. In the same way, political parties have
a duty to participate in any election that devolves from the set of
principles, ideals, and vision for the future to protect the interests
of the people and the state. Armenia has had only three presidents
since declaring its independence in 1991. And during these three
administrations the economy has steadily deteriorated. If political
parties are assumed to have an altruistic purpose, why should any
problems exist? One overriding reason is that once a political party is
ensconced in power, its policies and programs are prey to corruption
by extraneous influences and pressure groups that have little or
no interest in the wellbeing of the people or the viability of the
state. This is not an uncommon situation when a ruling party has no
serious opposition with which to contend. Since 1991 unemployment and
underemployment have steadily risen, ameliorated only somewhat because
families and individuals have been forced to emigrate in search of
employment or an improved quality of life. Countless Armenian families
have been disrupted when the husband or father has had to seek work in
a foreign country to support his family. The below replacement-level
fertility rate, combined with emigration, have reduced the country's
population by at least 1 million, contributing to a rapid aging of
the population. Too many of these elderly Armenians are being forced
to live their retirement years in poverty. The equality that women
are guaranteed by the constitution has limited application in practice.
Zarouhi Petrosyan's death in 2009 awakened the Armenian conscience
to the prevalence of domestic violence in the country. Zarouhi was a
mother of a two-year-old girl and was routinely subjected to vicious
attacks by her husband. Yet, martial violence and abuse continues
unabated, with no legislation enacted to protect wives and mothers
from shameless husbands who are no better than predators.
Environmental degradation not only continues, but is intensifying.
Habitats for endangered species of animals and plants are being
destroyed by cutting old growth forests; extracting low grade copper
ore, which is profitable only because it is unregulated; degrading the
surface and ground water supplies; and decreasing air quality because
relevant regulations either do not exist or are not enforced. The
expansion and beautification of Yerevan continues unabated because
it financially benefits the contactors, property owners, building
material suppliers, and investors who represent a small politically
connected group. While the capital city expands, the dichotomy with
its hinterland increases to the detriment of the rural families and
their quality of life. Young women in orphanages, upon reaching the
age of 18, must leave this sheltered environment without having had
any effective program, either before or after leaving, that would
provide them with the necessary economic and social skills to become
effective members of society. Need I go on? And while the country is
engulfed by all of these shortcomings, the oligarchs are still able to
enrich themselves. How can political parties, under such conditions,
consider sitting out an election an appropriate response? These
deplorable conditions are not what our people should have to endure.
Sitting out an election, however it may be rationalized, not only
deprives the electorate of a voice in opposition to the failed
policies of the incumbent, but leaves no alternative for the voter
to consider. How can the leadership of these parties expect any
legitimate, post-election opposition to be taken seriously by the
voters when the victorious candidate has been given a free pass during
the election? The lack of serious opposition-or oversight, if you
will-by political parties has allowed "mer mayreni yergire" to become
a fiefdom for a small group of favored individuals and families. If any
of these parties want to break out of their marginal status, they must
make a sincere effort to support the various (often ignored) segments
of the electorate, such as the elderly, the unemployed, the rural
families, the non-farm workers, and the legitimate interest groups
that have been forming in Armenia in support of the environmental
regulations, women's rights, legislation to protect women from marital
violence, etc. And at the same time, these same parties must actively
oppose those special interests with their agendas that continue to
bleed Armenia for personal gain. An effective political party should
be at the forefront, confronting the programs and policies of an
administration that does not effectively address the wellbeing of
its citizens or the security of the state. Political parties must be
perceived by the electorate as being committed to a better, stronger,
and secure Armenia.
From: A. Papazian
by Michael Mensoian
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/02/19/mensoian-do-political-parties-have-a-duty-to-participate/
February 19, 2013
The Feb. 18, 2013 Armenian presidential elections had only a handful
of political parties willing or able to oppose the reelection of
President Serge Sarkisian of the Republican Party. Some political
parties had decided to sit out the election rather than have their
campaign fall victim to the usual political misconduct and voting
irregularities that are endemic to elections in Armenia. Their
rationale is that participation adds legitimacy to a seriously flawed
election process. Although these irregularities can be persuasive
reasons to boycott an election, it is a decision that abdicates a
party's responsibility to the voters and directly contributes to the
electorate remaining cynical and resigned to accepting conditions
detrimental to their well-being.
A campaign office for President Sarkisian in Yerevan. (Photo: The
Armenian Weekly) Political parties must weigh the effect that sitting
out an election can have against the benefits that could accrue if
they were to mount effective campaigns. When confronted by these
vexing questions, party leaders should remember the many times in
the glorious history of our people that soldiers and fedayees engaged
in battle because it was considered their honorable duty to protect
their nation-against all odds. In the same way, political parties have
a duty to participate in any election that devolves from the set of
principles, ideals, and vision for the future to protect the interests
of the people and the state. Armenia has had only three presidents
since declaring its independence in 1991. And during these three
administrations the economy has steadily deteriorated. If political
parties are assumed to have an altruistic purpose, why should any
problems exist? One overriding reason is that once a political party is
ensconced in power, its policies and programs are prey to corruption
by extraneous influences and pressure groups that have little or
no interest in the wellbeing of the people or the viability of the
state. This is not an uncommon situation when a ruling party has no
serious opposition with which to contend. Since 1991 unemployment and
underemployment have steadily risen, ameliorated only somewhat because
families and individuals have been forced to emigrate in search of
employment or an improved quality of life. Countless Armenian families
have been disrupted when the husband or father has had to seek work in
a foreign country to support his family. The below replacement-level
fertility rate, combined with emigration, have reduced the country's
population by at least 1 million, contributing to a rapid aging of
the population. Too many of these elderly Armenians are being forced
to live their retirement years in poverty. The equality that women
are guaranteed by the constitution has limited application in practice.
Zarouhi Petrosyan's death in 2009 awakened the Armenian conscience
to the prevalence of domestic violence in the country. Zarouhi was a
mother of a two-year-old girl and was routinely subjected to vicious
attacks by her husband. Yet, martial violence and abuse continues
unabated, with no legislation enacted to protect wives and mothers
from shameless husbands who are no better than predators.
Environmental degradation not only continues, but is intensifying.
Habitats for endangered species of animals and plants are being
destroyed by cutting old growth forests; extracting low grade copper
ore, which is profitable only because it is unregulated; degrading the
surface and ground water supplies; and decreasing air quality because
relevant regulations either do not exist or are not enforced. The
expansion and beautification of Yerevan continues unabated because
it financially benefits the contactors, property owners, building
material suppliers, and investors who represent a small politically
connected group. While the capital city expands, the dichotomy with
its hinterland increases to the detriment of the rural families and
their quality of life. Young women in orphanages, upon reaching the
age of 18, must leave this sheltered environment without having had
any effective program, either before or after leaving, that would
provide them with the necessary economic and social skills to become
effective members of society. Need I go on? And while the country is
engulfed by all of these shortcomings, the oligarchs are still able to
enrich themselves. How can political parties, under such conditions,
consider sitting out an election an appropriate response? These
deplorable conditions are not what our people should have to endure.
Sitting out an election, however it may be rationalized, not only
deprives the electorate of a voice in opposition to the failed
policies of the incumbent, but leaves no alternative for the voter
to consider. How can the leadership of these parties expect any
legitimate, post-election opposition to be taken seriously by the
voters when the victorious candidate has been given a free pass during
the election? The lack of serious opposition-or oversight, if you
will-by political parties has allowed "mer mayreni yergire" to become
a fiefdom for a small group of favored individuals and families. If any
of these parties want to break out of their marginal status, they must
make a sincere effort to support the various (often ignored) segments
of the electorate, such as the elderly, the unemployed, the rural
families, the non-farm workers, and the legitimate interest groups
that have been forming in Armenia in support of the environmental
regulations, women's rights, legislation to protect women from marital
violence, etc. And at the same time, these same parties must actively
oppose those special interests with their agendas that continue to
bleed Armenia for personal gain. An effective political party should
be at the forefront, confronting the programs and policies of an
administration that does not effectively address the wellbeing of
its citizens or the security of the state. Political parties must be
perceived by the electorate as being committed to a better, stronger,
and secure Armenia.
From: A. Papazian