Hayots Ashkharh Daily, Armenia
Oct 19 2007

PEOPLE – SICK AND TIRED OF DEMONTRATIONS

Yesterday HRAYR KARAPETYAN, Head of the ARFD Parliamentary faction
convened a press-conference in `Pastark’ club. Apart from the
correspondents of the printed press and the radio, the
press-conference was also attended by the film crew of `Yerkir Media’
TV Company.
`The presidential elections are drawing near, and the TV
Companies, which are subject to the counterbalance of this or that
political faction, are clarifying their approaches, depending on the
attitudes of the given political force. I am far from thinking that
this is the attitude of the country’s President or Prime Minister.
There are officials who take themselves for people influencing the
processes from behind the scenes and bestow a doubtful service upon
the individuals whose political interests they allegedly pursue,’ the
speaker announced in that connection.
H. Karapetyan believes that people who have some relationship to
the sphere of campaigns must realize that the achievement of freedom
is irrevocable in Armenia, and we can never return to the
totalitarian system.
The guest-speaker of the club considered it an exaggeration to
account for the pre-election logic of developments by the fact that
the Armenian pan-National Movement and LTP have joined the game. `The
factor of those forces’ participating in the upcoming political
processes is being exaggerated and overestimated by many propaganda
means and activists. Many of the present-day pro-Government activists
used to be Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s supporters. I don’t know whether
they are planning to return or are still making up their minds. There
are simply people who always take sides with the heavy scale of the
weigh. We do not admit any change of intention with the purpose
clarifying a political attitude. The people have to be mature enough
to notice those people’s unsteadiness and avoid wasting their votes
on them.
Dashnaktsutyun can never support anyone who has a defeatist
attitude towards the Artsakh problem, can adopt a yielding policy in
issues regarding the Armenian Cause, jeopardize the country’s
internal political stability and implement a policy contradicting the
party’s socialist ideas.
The leader of ARFD Parliamentary faction definitely confirmed the
fact that Dashnaktsutyun is not going to participate in the October
26 demonstration and it doesn’t even need to listen to LTP. `We have
organized thousands of demonstration or participated in mass popular
events. There was a period when we made a speech from the same
platform, together with Levon Ter-Petrosyan, and we know very well
what he can say.
Personally I am sick and tired of demonstrations. I don’t think
the demonstrations can be as effective as they were at the end of the
80’s. I don’t think it is possible to return to the times of the
Armenian pan-National Movement and Levon Ter-Petrosyan, when the
freedom of press was restricted, and there was no television, so the
demonstration platform was the only place from where it was possible
to hear the truth.’
Besides, H. Karapetyan partially disclosed several trends of the
tactics adopted by Dashnaktsutyun. `Dashnaktsutyun has adopted a
policy which is characteristic to the party, and regardless the
political situation, it says all it has to say and carries out deeds
that derive from its traditional principles. This has always been our
tactics, both at the time when we were in the Opposition and now that
we form part of the ruling authority.’
Anyway, why did Dashnaktsutyun decide to run for election with a
candidate of its own? According to H. Karapetyan, `If the country’s
President, Prime Minister and NA Speaker belong to the same party,
this will give rise to very serious problems. The situation will be
fraught with dangers. This is one of the reasons Dashnaktsutyun
decided to participate in the presidential elections with a candidate
of its own. At least, the statements made by the Republican Party so
far come to prove that they are against a single-party government.
There are very many RPA members who have felt the consequences of a
single-party system on their own back.’

HAROUTYUN GEVORKYAN