SMILE GENTLEMEN, SERIOUS FACE IS NO SIGN OF INTELLIGENCE
Hakob Badalyan

Lragir.am
14-09-2007 11:56:53

The sense of humor of the Russian president is beyond any limit. Putin
is playing a game with not only his circle and Russia but also the
entire world. Now it is quite possible that Vladimir Putin will appoint
himself prime minister before the presidential election afterwards to
become his own heir. Power is a cruel thing. Absolute power is twice
as cruel. Many might think that Vladimir Putin is seeking for a more
distinct and reliable way of continuation of his government through
a more favorable heir. In reality, Putin is not trying to find a
reliable way for the continuation of his government, moreover, his
power is already bothering him. Putin is apparently bored of power,
and this juggling with heirs is a sign of his boredom.

In ancient times monarchs fought the boredom and melancholy of power by
beheading the court from time to time. Many years later civilization
invented shopping therapy. It is clear that the Russian president
cannot spend days and hours in a supermarket or a boutique.

He cannot behead people either. What else can he do except appointing
heirs to one post or another.

Perhaps, however, the president of Russia has forgotten that he is
the head of a rather influential state, and everyone is following
his moves to match their plans. The great powers do not mind. They
scan the moves of the Russian president and move on. How about the
countries where the political elite’s decisions depend on Putin’s
moves? For instance, the political elite of Armenia. Perhaps Levitin
will tell today what to do, who arrived yesterday, although he is not
a minister any more. Although Levitin himself needs advice what to do.

But he had better not stay there. He will get some relief here. Ours
will relieve him, but who will relieve ours? Who would expect Putin
leave aside Dmitri Medvedev and, more importantly, Sergey Ivanov? The
look and smile of these officials on the TV channels showed that even
they had not expected such a move. Or they expected but not now, not
so suddenly, without warning. And if it gave them a surprise, imagine
how the Armenian elite feel. For Armenia is going to elect president
only a month before Russia, and since both countries have synchronized
their watches to move towards strategic partnership, as the Armenian
diplomatic glossary puts it, no doubt they had got synchronized
regarding this issue as well. And now Putin autocratically set the
time ahead. But did he do it autocratically? Was there no word or hint
in Sochi a few weeks before when Putin stated during his meeting with
Robert Kocharyan that Armenia and Russia have become real partners?

And was it accidental when afterwards the famous presidential poll
emerged where Serge Sargsyan was the fourth by popularity rating? Or
maybe it was accidental if anything accidental happens in politics
and life at all.

Therefore it may not be accidental if Putin’s dismissal of the prime
minister brings the famous joke to mind. A man’s house was swarming
with cockroaches. They were so many and so brazen that he did not know
what to do. He complains to his neighbor that he even used poison but
without any use and all he can do is to take this poison and die. The
neighbor advises him to go to his place, hit his foot against the floor
and order the cockroaches to leave his house forever. "But speak to
them with a gloomy face, you shouldn’t smile," the neighbor warns.

The man does what his neighbor tells him. The cockroaches get scared,
and sadly leave the house. When the man sees how the last cockroach
wants to step out of the door, he cannot help smiling out of delight
about the method. The last cockroach, who gives the last nostalgic
glance to the room, sees his smile and calls to his friends: "Hey guys,
get back, he was kidding!"

Smile, gentlemen, smile, Baron Munchausen said, for a serious face
is not a sign of intelligence. Who knows, maybe Putin smiled when he
signed the resignation of the government. The charm of power is that
you can joke, and if the people around you are concerned and turn to
you for a meeting, they will at best go to the heart doctor.