LAW IS A FALSE NATIONAL IDEOLOGY
Hakob Badalyan
Lragir.am
18 April 06
Following the Unity Tree Planting, most of us might have thought
that the Head Public Prosecutor of Armenia should be concerned about
issues of lawfulness rather than environmental issues, and most of us
might be right. Moreover, this lack of lawfulness in the country is
visible to the naked eye, even at night. It is hard to disagree that
no matter how important nature and national unity are, something is
wrong, however, when the head of law enforcers starts taking care of
nature, and the head of environmentalists starts shooting seagulls
like a policemen would shoot a criminal, without thinking that if
a shot in the air would mean a warning for the offender, for the
seagull it might mean death.
Naturally, neither the problem of environment will be solved, nor the
problem of lawfulness, if the law enforcer does not observe the law,
and the environmentalist forgets about nature.
However, the state of things is not as bad as it might appear. It is
the least of evils when they plant trees as a symbol of unity.
Imagine what would happen if they decided to start a development
of unity, considering that they are unable to build anything
except elite houses. The ombudsman would have to spend nights at the
Constitutional Court, although the problem is not that of the ombudsman
but thousands of citizens whose property would be sacrificed for the
sake of unity. So, let us be thankful for tree planting, and let us
be thankful that there is place where to plant trees, and no one has
to start alienation of property of residents.
If the residents of Buzand Street and North Avenue protest because
their property is seized in favor of the elite, refusing to give one’s
property for place to plant trees would be considered treason. How
can one refuse to give some territory, some apartment or some roof
if someone devotes all his time, heart and soul for the Unity Tree
Planting? Yes, it is better to sacrifice one’s apartment (one might
even receive a title of hero) than to be threatened to be seen as
a traitor.
Hence, this is what happens in the countries where public initiatives
come to replace the law. Those to whom the idea of law does not even
occur become devotees of the nation. And those who refuse to follow
the initiative of such a devotee is seen as a traitor. How can one
refuse to participate in the dance of unity or in the unity tree
planting? If you fail to, you are not merely defying the head public
prosecutor but also the idea of unity of the nation. And whoever dares
to criticize, moreover, not to take part in these events of unity,
and even doubt their appropriateness, will be declared a foe of the
nation, who does not want our unity.
That is why the Head Public Prosecutor has set aside the questions of
lawfulness and engages in planting trees of unity and begets ideas
of unity in general. It is like a magic circle, and those who are
outside this circle are heretics. There is no other option; either
you are united, or you are a traitor if you dare to speak about some
laws and equality during such a crucial event for the homeland as
tree planting. It is necessary to make people equal on another plane
for them not to be equal before the law and to forget about this
inequality. First it was Mount Aragats, now it is trees of unity,
next year they will surely invent something else.
The public must not be allowed to remain idle, otherwise they start
talking about the law, and a devotee of the nation is seen as an
offender.