THE LAST NIGHT’S DREAM
Hakob Badalyan

Lragir, Armenia
Sept 27 2007

When the present government promises to remind some things to the
former government, they definitely mean the dark and cold years of
the energy crisis. Generally, the issue of the cold and dark years
is rather dark for our society. The idea about the causes of the
crisis is shaped only through propaganda stemming from the political
conjuncture. A major part of the society is convinced that the cause
of the crisis was not only the objective reality, and the fact that
the "fuel case" was dismissed in reality was not due to the lack of
evidence. Simply the people involved in that case might have been
people who are now in government, and consequently they cannot judge
themselves, and the fuel was just a show to distract the society
until the new government would self-organize and strengthen. On the
other hand, the fact that the people involved in the case are still in
government does not mean that the former government is not responsible
for machinations in public administration.

However, all this needs a serious study, not a "fuel case" but an
unbiased, political and professional but non-interest group study,
a discussion, argumentation, proof. It will help find out whether
the energy crisis was caused by the reality or was the result of
someone’s imagination for machinations. In this sense, I encourage
the government to bring up its reminders with which it threatens
the former government, especially after the appearance of Levon
Ter-Petrosyan. I am for revealing and discussing the events of those
years. However, I am for it only in case along with reminders the
present government gives the former government a chance to answer, to
offer its arguments, for them, if they have justification and proof,
to prove to the society that the so-called dark and cold years were
but a political manipulation.

If the government’s reminder means a large-scale offensive on the
former government through the TV channels it controls without an
opportunity for the former government to give an adequate response,
these reminders are absolutely to be condemned. It is not a trial but
lynching which is typical of the weak. The conventional prosecution
and defense should have equal opportunities to tell the society what
they have to tell. In this case, bringing up the "fuel case" would
be welcome because it would allow settling it once and for all and
shifting the political process underway in the country from the past
to the present. In addition, it is not a matter of criminal charges.

It is a matter of a political debate because with the current level of
independence of the Armenian courts proceedings would be turned into
lynching. A simple political and professional debate is needed which
would finally shape a public opinion on what happened in those years,
and the society would stop being a target of political manipulations,
and the political forces would have to think of new things to tell
the society to show their advantage and the difference of these and
other forces. There is no other way of settling the topic and ridding
of the past, and evidence to this is the Armenian people who cannot
rid of their history and look ahead to the future without historical
complexes, the complexes of the millennial civilization because they
have always failed to put up their history and civilization for a
sober debate. Therefore, the first idea of our national mornings is
not the new day but the last night’s dream.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress