Hayots Ashkharh, Armenia
Dec 22 2007
TER-PETROSYAN IS PROBABLY A FAR-SIGHTED PERSON
But he doesn’t see what’s going on in front of his eyes
Interview with EDUARD ANTINYAN, Head of `Democracy, Prosperity,
Security’ NGO
`Mr. Antinyan, as a voter and a citizen of Armenia, you addressed
your questionnaire to one of the presidential candidates. Do you
anticipate any answer?’
`I believe any candidate pretending to the post of President must
first of all convince the voter that he attaches importance to the
vote cast by each one. If a candidate intends to be accountable to
the people, he must assure them that he appreciates the opinion of
each voter and is interested that the vote cast in his favor never be
sold. Knowing the value and not the price of the votes, a candidate
must be ready to answer all the questions.
Being entitled to incorruptible vote, I addressed questions to the
candidate who returns to the political arena after 10 years of
silence but communicates with the people only at demostrations. What
I want to know is whether he will treat the participants of the
demonstrations and protest rallies the same way as he did in
1995-1996, in case he become the country’s leader again.
Answering the question of a citizen like me, he will have answered
the questions of hundreds and thousands of other citizens who are
going to vote tomorrow. During the demonstrations, when one speaks
and the others hear, no answer is given to the questions; there is no
feedback from the people.’
`Perhaps the candidate you mean does not even have any demand for
such a feedback and just wants to make his words heard?’
`If it is so, if he is going to avoid mutual communication with
the people and direct talks with the journalists, he cannot be a
state official. The thing is that, any person holding a state office,
including the country’s top official, is bound by legislation to
answer the questions addressed to him within a certain time period.
If à presidential candidate is not ready to follow such schedule, he
cannot possibly officiate and perform his duties effectively even if
he has an intermediary service.
Pretending to receive answers to my questions, I struggle for the
status of a citizen. The answer will help me to make the right
decision tomorrow. If everybody receives the answer to his/her
questions and make a balanced choice, we will have an accomplished
civil society.’
`You have addressed six questions to Mr. Ter-Petrosyan with the
purpose of finding out certain episodes of the time when he was in
power. Why do you need it?’
`To continue holding his office, the then President, who is
pretending to accept the same post once again, was ready to sacrifice
800-1000 citizens, according to the well-known video material. I
decided to address these questions to him when the handwriting
attributed to Vazgen Manoukyan was circulated in the press again. It
already became evident that this was not written by the NDU leader.
But the thing is that, speaking about the presidential candidate in
this style cannot be effective. As a citizen, I addressed these
questions to the ex-President in an attempt to encourage him not to
decrease the level of a political debate.
When he tries to debase the prestige of his battle-friend and
political co-thinker with whom he went to prison, headed a movement
and came to power, talks to him in the language of compromise and
assessments characteristic of Gables, every citizen has the right to
be interested whether the events described in the `handwriting’ took
place in the period when this person was in office. This was just a
warning.
I am happy that exactly a day later one of L. Ter-Petrosyan’s
supporters published his opinion in the press and considered
publication of the `handwriting’ impermissible. I think the questions
have reached their addressee.’
`Do you anticipate any answer?’
`There has been no answer so far. I anticipate that in case the
answer is given, it should be made public. If I were the only person
interested in it, I wouldn’t have asked my questions through the
press. The person, who is ready to go out to the street tomorrow to
protect his citizens’ rights, must understand that in 1996 the same
people wanted to remove him from power with the help of tanks.’
`Mr. Antinyan, with the first question you remind LTP that if the
participants of the protest hadn’t gone to the National Assembly in
1996 and got to the Presidential Residence instead, the instruction
by which he demanded that the force structures shoot at the people
would have been carried out. Do you think he has forgotten it?’
`If he really gave the force structures such an instruction, the
people must know it. It must also be clear whether the force
structures were making such a step on their own, when he was the
Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The voter must clearly know
who pretends to the post of presidency again. If Mr. Ter-Petrosyan
didn’t have such pretensions, this page of history could be
considered closed. If he hadn’t stuck to the past and tried to
justify and proofread it, there would be no need to remind him of the
past.
Each person is the master of his/her honor. The first President
shouldn’t have wasted the people’s deference to him. L. Ter-Petrosyan
is probably a far-sighted person, but he doesn’t see what’s going on
in front of his eyes. If he is unable to see the big troubles he is
facing, he’d better avoid talking about the minor problems of others.
It was he who sank from the level of the first President to the level
of electricians and drivers.’
`By asking the second question you are trying to receive the
assessment on the tenure of Vano Siradeghyan who was the Minister of
Interior under the rule of LTP. Do you doubt that many people support
the ex-President because they have received a promise of guaranteeing
Vano’s return?’
`Let’s keep in mind that the Minister of Defense was Vazgen
Sargsyan. When the ancient Greeks said `Say either good things or
nothing about the deceased’, I don’t think they meant the people who
left some trace in history. Vazgen Sargsyan had a political
biography, and we must speak about him as long as we remember him. If
there are some people who do not want his deeds to be estimated, they
think that he hasn’t left any political capital behind, and they are
not his successors.
Vano Siradegyan was the person who was telling about the 1996
events in `Arshalouys Gate’, the video material I mentioned. It was
he who disclosed the fact that L. Ter-Petrosyan had issued an
instruction to sacrifice 800-1000 citizens. And during the
demonstrations the first President orders applauses in advance,
before giving his name. So he must explain why it was necessary to
maintain power at the price of 800-1000 citizens’ lives, and why a
year and a half later it became possible to resign from power upon
hearing the very first demand.
HAROUTYUN GEVORKYAN