TO BE ABLE TO BE MORE CRIMINAL
SIRANUYSH PAPYAN
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16:27:35 – 03/09/2009
Interview with the artist Hovhannes Margaryan
In your opinion what is the government and what are the mechanisms
of its formation and its functions?
The word government hints that it is about the ruling class. It is
created to control some economic, financial and social functions,
but the main aim of the ruling class is to have political and
economic supremacy, to appropriate others’ work etc. The power
is often equalized with the state, but in reality, they are
different. Government may be formed through elections and class
struggle.
Of course, political freedom, democracy and electoral rights may
eliminate the need for class struggle, moreover, non-governmental
organizations, taking part in the formation of government are able
not only to soften disagreements, but also country’s significance
and its meaning.
What kind of government do we have?
>From the beginning, of course, constitutional. Our country has the
function to form government through elections, but here we deal with
violation of government, because here the power is used for personal
purposes. For instance, one wants to become a parliamentary member not
to solve national issues but to have guarantees for their business. We
have this kind of National Assembly (except the Heritage party) where
the parliamentary members pursuit only their personal interests. All
the questions are solved not in the National Assembly but in some
other place.
How would you comment on the essence and the structure of the Armenian
government?
The essence and the structure of the government in Armenia are about
those who are capable: who can violate the law and be unpunished,
who may commit a crime and make career etc, shortly speaking to
be able and not to create knowledge. The point is not about the
creation of Constitution, structures, or even knowledge, but about
being able to use the existing goods and proceeding from this, a
relevant contingent is shaped in the National Assembly: strong and
stronger people, criminals and more criminals.
There was a period, before Congress was set up, when kindness, honesty,
reading and such kind of things were considered defaming things. I
remember once on the level of the president I heard an opinion "we
saw a book reader too", meaning of course the first president.
Mildly speaking this is a semi-criminal system, where the government
abuses its rights and it becomes more dangerous, when arms are used
against people to repress their right to expression, their freedom
and health.
In your opinion, do electoral mechanisms to form government operate
in Armenia? Whom does the government represent? Which is the basis
of the Armenian government?
The mechanism of formation of the government is of course the
election. But in our case it is different. I participated in the
last three elections as an observer and if I had been told I would
never believe before … It was not an election but a defamation of
election. The government comes to power in a defamed way. Their basis
is money, bodyguard, armed groups, criminals, businessmen and so on.
Do you think the mechanism of formation of government through election
did not succeed among us?
Not only did not succeed but also we have never had such a mechanism,
and what we had has been defamed in the last 10 years.
We have had a very hard soviet heritage and to set up European
institutions on European level is a little difficult. I don’t know
if to consider these elections a good phenomenon or not that they
happen in Armenia even in this way but they are election.
In your opinion, how can the society return its right to form a
government?
This is a difficult question. There is the right to form democratic
government but the current authorities do not give possibilities and
the society cannot decide what to do.
Maybe the present non-governmental organizations and other structures
should be activated but I do not mean those set up during Soviet Union.
What qualities would you like the Armenian government to have?
First, I would like the government to be formed through real and
not false elections, regardless the government. The people have also
the right to make a mistake but they have to have the opportunity to
change the government always. There should be a law on dissolving the
National Assembly and on holding new elections. Of course, I would like
to have a democratic government where the supreme value is the man.
Do you agree with the opinion that people deserve the government
they have?
I agree, but with reservations. It is not always this way because
hardly any nation will like dictatorship. Or how can those people
who make political strolls near the Saryan statue deserve today’s
government? I think this is an obligation rather than a choice.
Is change of government a possible variant?
When the society is really sick of the government that tension cannot
last for long and there maybe different variants. The most terrible
one is of course the civil war. And the best way of the change
of government is of course the one through constitutional way. I
believe that in Armenia there will be shift of government through
constitutional way, through election.