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Mouradian: The Sultans of Swindling
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/08/10/mouradian-the-sultans-of-swindling/
By Khatchig Mouradian // August 10, 2013
`To dispossess the people unyieldingly, the government has created
monopolies (tobacco, salt, railroads, mines), that aim at snatching
from the worker's pocket a part of his earnings and handing it to
European or local capitalists.'
1x1.trans Mouradian: The Sultans of Swindling
More than two decades after regaining its independence, Armenia is
witnessing a protest movement gaining momentum with every battle,
while it seems that the political parties are laying low.
Contrary to what many readers suspect, this diagnosis was not written
with the Armenian government in mind.
Far from it!
These lines, published in 1892 in the official organ Droshak (Flag) of
the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (at the time called Federation
of Armenian Revolutionaries), are part of a description of the Ottoman
Turkish government's modus operandi.
In the late 19th century, the Ottoman Armenian workers had very few,
mostly unappealing, options to avoid humiliation, subjugation, and
dispossession. While many Armenians left for the U.S. and other
countries to make a living and support their families in the homeland,
a very small proportion of took up arms. Revolutionary parties like
the ARF were born to support and direct that struggle. Most Ottoman
Armenians however remained unwavering in their insistence on laying
low and hoping for the best.
The rest is history.
Today, in the tiny Republic of Armenia, erected in 1918 on the ashes
of the Armenian Genocide in large part due to the efforts of the very
same people who wrote in Droshak and swore by it, the Armenian citizen
is faced with similar options: To emigrate - as most Armenians already
have or hope to be able to one day - or to fight.
The grassroots activism that has emerged and matured in recent years,
from Teghut to Mashdots Park to the `I will not pay 150 drams'
movement, is the product of the few who decide to stay, decline to lay
low, and struggle against all odds. They are bullied, threatened,
beaten, imprisoned, and sometimes even killed, while the regime
continues `snatching from the worker's pocket a part of his earnings...'
More than two decades after regaining its independence, Armenia is
witnessing a protest movement gaining momentum with every battle,
while it seems that the political parties are laying low.
Over-promising and under-delivering has become a staple of
politics-as-usual in Armenia. Unfortunately, this also includes much
of the opposition, which has thus far failed to muster the strength
and ingenuity to tackle the profound economic and social challenges
the Armenian citizen faces.
The same Droshak article argues: `To liberate the people from this
unbearable situation, to create circumstances for it to enter
humanity's path to development, is only possible through revolution....'
In today's Armenia, such a revolution could only be waged through a
robust movement that harnesses grassroots activism and civil
disobedience.
One could already discern the contours of such a movement in the `I
will not pay 150 drams' initiative. Yet it seems political parties
haven't gotten the memo about direct action and bottom-up protest
movements. This is to their detriment. In these challenging times for
the Armenian nation, state, and church, their political reflexes must
change. Otherwise, loyalties will begin to shift, and those who fail
to step forward may well be forced to step aside.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/08/10/mouradian-the-sultans-of-swindling/
By Khatchig Mouradian // August 10, 2013
`To dispossess the people unyieldingly, the government has created
monopolies (tobacco, salt, railroads, mines), that aim at snatching
from the worker's pocket a part of his earnings and handing it to
European or local capitalists.'
1x1.trans Mouradian: The Sultans of Swindling
More than two decades after regaining its independence, Armenia is
witnessing a protest movement gaining momentum with every battle,
while it seems that the political parties are laying low.
Contrary to what many readers suspect, this diagnosis was not written
with the Armenian government in mind.
Far from it!
These lines, published in 1892 in the official organ Droshak (Flag) of
the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (at the time called Federation
of Armenian Revolutionaries), are part of a description of the Ottoman
Turkish government's modus operandi.
In the late 19th century, the Ottoman Armenian workers had very few,
mostly unappealing, options to avoid humiliation, subjugation, and
dispossession. While many Armenians left for the U.S. and other
countries to make a living and support their families in the homeland,
a very small proportion of took up arms. Revolutionary parties like
the ARF were born to support and direct that struggle. Most Ottoman
Armenians however remained unwavering in their insistence on laying
low and hoping for the best.
The rest is history.
Today, in the tiny Republic of Armenia, erected in 1918 on the ashes
of the Armenian Genocide in large part due to the efforts of the very
same people who wrote in Droshak and swore by it, the Armenian citizen
is faced with similar options: To emigrate - as most Armenians already
have or hope to be able to one day - or to fight.
The grassroots activism that has emerged and matured in recent years,
from Teghut to Mashdots Park to the `I will not pay 150 drams'
movement, is the product of the few who decide to stay, decline to lay
low, and struggle against all odds. They are bullied, threatened,
beaten, imprisoned, and sometimes even killed, while the regime
continues `snatching from the worker's pocket a part of his earnings...'
More than two decades after regaining its independence, Armenia is
witnessing a protest movement gaining momentum with every battle,
while it seems that the political parties are laying low.
Over-promising and under-delivering has become a staple of
politics-as-usual in Armenia. Unfortunately, this also includes much
of the opposition, which has thus far failed to muster the strength
and ingenuity to tackle the profound economic and social challenges
the Armenian citizen faces.
The same Droshak article argues: `To liberate the people from this
unbearable situation, to create circumstances for it to enter
humanity's path to development, is only possible through revolution....'
In today's Armenia, such a revolution could only be waged through a
robust movement that harnesses grassroots activism and civil
disobedience.
One could already discern the contours of such a movement in the `I
will not pay 150 drams' initiative. Yet it seems political parties
haven't gotten the memo about direct action and bottom-up protest
movements. This is to their detriment. In these challenging times for
the Armenian nation, state, and church, their political reflexes must
change. Otherwise, loyalties will begin to shift, and those who fail
to step forward may well be forced to step aside.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress