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What Is Opposition In Armenia?

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  • What Is Opposition In Armenia?

    WHAT IS OPPOSITION IN ARMENIA?
    Hakob Badalyan

    Lragir.am
    15 May 06

    The word "opposition," which seemed to be gradually eluding the word
    stock of the Armenian public and political thought, reappeared after
    the secession of the Orinats Yerkir Party from the coalition and
    the resignation of Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan. The reaction of his
    colleagues in the coalition, already former colleagues, was not as
    strong, at least it did not appear as such, as the opposition parties,
    at least those who appear as such (opposition, not political party).

    The public, the political circles and the mass media were not
    interested in the reason of this step of the Orinats Yerkir, its
    likely impact on further processes as deeply as in the fact how the
    opposition would accept the Orinats Yerkir. This is, in fact, a very
    important question. But first it is important to find the answer to
    another question, without which any answer to the previous question
    would be far from being true. What is opposition? And if we narrow
    the scope of the question, and put the question as follows: what
    is opposition in Armenia? It is nothing but a group of people who
    appeared in power for different periods of time or have kinship ties
    of various degrees with government in power at different times. They
    cannot even get on well with one another, for at different times
    and for different periods were they in power, and each of them tends
    to think that they deserve to return to power, because they had the
    shortest stay in power and, what is more, without nepotism.

    In other words, the biography of the present opposition does not
    differ from that of Orinats Yerkir in a single episode. Moreover,
    Orinats Yerkir itself rejected power. Whereas there is not a force in
    opposition, which resigned from government offices on their own will,
    except the National Democratic Union. Most probably, this is the reason
    why it is beyond the opposition to insist on the government to resign
    on their will, for they are reluctant to establish a precedent.

    Hence, the notion of opposition is not distinct in Armenia, especially
    that one can learn about its existence in front of Matenadaran, only
    when weathermen predict sunny weather or sun with rain. They say press
    and television are closed for them. But when they used to be in power,
    not only the press and television were open for them. Consequently,
    it is hard to imagine how such an amorphous being is going to make
    a definite decision on accepting or rejecting some force. If the
    opposition is able to make decisions at all, it should make decisions
    on more important things, much more important than accession or
    rejection of the Orinats Yerkir Party.

    There is the other side of the question. In what political system is
    it accepted to hold entrance exams for opposition or government?

    Usually, in normal countries elections are held, and the society
    decides which force should be opposition, and which one government.

    And finally it is the society that decides the fate of political
    forces. Opposition or government are not clubs where people are
    accepted for some fee or social status. And it is at least surprising
    that the representatives of the opposition, self-denying devotees
    of democratic values, speak about the possibility and conditions of
    accepting a political power, which rejected government (repentance,
    confession, etc.), on the public channel and the Republic of Armenia
    Official Newspaper, where the doors are allegedly closed before them.

    But did the Republic Party repent, if the majority of its members
    are to blame for the electoral fraud in 1998? Did the People's
    Party repent, if the majority of its members allied in 1999 with the
    falsifiers of the election in 1998? And finally, did the opposition
    repent or apologize to the society for the disappointment caused by
    their innumerable vows for a revolution or constitutional ways.

    Repentance and apology to the society for even the smallest mistake
    are, in fact, very important, and in this sense it is not a pity
    to provide airtime. However, it is necessary to repent in turn for
    a proper repentance. And it is the society that should decide the
    order. I personally rely on the memory of the society only for everyone
    to "lift the weight" in turn. It will eventually become clear who is
    forgiven and whose time is up.

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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