EVERYONE MUST UNDERSTAND THEIR ROLE AT PRESENT AND RESPONSIBILITY FOR FUTURE

Lragir.am
1 July 06

Recent there has been a lot of consideration that the NKR president is
likely to run a third term. It is interesting and distressing that
these are based on rumors about the wish of a definite person. `Ask
anyone in the street.

The majority would like to be president.’ I understand the comparison
is not successful. Nevertheless, there is something in common in
terms of wishes.It should be noted that besides the wish, which is
common for both cases, there is also the reality, which is supposed to
regulate such wishes. The point is what the reality is. Let us not go
deeper into it now, helping the political scientists, who work for
definite people and receive a salary (or money inan envelope). Let us
dwell on the reasons, which seem to be forceful arguments against the
idea of a third term, independent of the wishes of the candidate.

1. Since 1988 all our steps and decisions have seriously and carefully
complied with the rules and logic of a democratic society. Their
implementation sometimes acquired a certain shade, like the actions of
the government during one election or another. But these shades have
never really trespassed the usual frame of democracy. A violation of
the law on the president would first of all cause suspicions whether
our intention to build a democratic society is genuine, which has been
commended by the entire civilized world so far, placing us superior to
Azerbaijan in this context. They cannot cheat us like in the election
of governors in Russia several years ago, when some laws were annulled
on adoption of others. The effort to name an unimportant figure, who
would resign in a couple of months, enabling the former president to
be named again is also impractical. I would like to repeat that we
must display our commitment to real democracy rather than the skills
of pro-governmental lawyers to the world.

2. We must keep in mind that in 1994 our parliament, which later
elected the first president, disagreed about the introduction of this
type of governance. The participants of this event know how this law
was adopted.

Now we are told that time showed that this type of governance is not
effective. We are told by people who used to uphold it, or `enjoy’ it,
if we may say so. And they decline to explain the mistake, whether it
was corrected or not, who is to blame and for what, and so on. It
makes think about the Soviet years, when hazy formulations `persuaded
people’ about thenecessity to adopt it. I very much hope that those
times are over. But as they say, time will show.

Now let us return to the change of the system of governance, offered
in the draft constitution (by the way, it merely a draft, and the
confidence of some people that it will be adopted does not allow the
author to say that this type of governance is already an adopted
decision). And it (the draft) is said to provide for a
semi-presidential governance. It is clear without going into detail
that the powers of the president will be restricted. And immediately
the `worm of suspicion’ stirs: isn’t this intendedto pass the real
power to a definite person, who will be occupying another post? If our
`worm’ is mistaken, we are happy, and if not, again the skills of
lawyers are noticed (certainly, not so original). In other words, the
government may try to name a president, who does not have real
political power, and the country will be ruled from another post,
which would be empowered by the new Constitution.By the way, a similar
situation may occur in Armenia as well. So, we have to repeat that
this approach is not related to the tenets of democracy we dream of
establishing in our homeland.

I think we will have time to discuss these serious problems again and
again. It would be much better if the intellectual political
potential of Karabakh worked for the welfare of the society rather
than the definite interests of certain people. Everyone who is able to
perceive the essence of what happened, and especially those who have
influence on it, must keep in their mind what sacrifices it took to
achieve what we have now. Everyone must realize their role at present
and their responsibility for the future. And let God help us.

SERGEY KALANTARYAN