THE CINEMATOGRAPH AND THE OLIGARCHS
Lragir.am
15/12/09
Ruben Hayrapetyan’s apology to Gagik Tsarukyan and to his party
partners seems to be an unprecedented step for the Armenian
governmental and oligarchic circles. The representatives of these
circles are not inclined to apologizing much let alone a public apology
even if the point is about apologizing to each other. Usually, if
there are disputes or quarrels between them, the supreme government
is to settle them which even if makes the sides apologize, it does
not happen surely in public. From this point, we may presume that
Ruben Hayrapetyan’s case is particular and unprecedented which shows
once again that much has changed within the governmental system. We
do not have to hurry to make conclusions about whether the change is
good or bad. In other words, we do not have to hurry to think that
the government makes oligarchs enhance their political culture and
settle quarrels by apologizing.
There is a Soviet film about a "cinematograph" who makes civil
revolution in an American small town of cowboys and the American
cowboys start speaking to each other with "sorry"-"sorry Sir". The
cinematograph is hardly possible to have penetrated into the Armenian
governmental pyramid too. Even if Ruben Hayrapetyan’s apology reminds
the famous film and creates grounds to think that a civil revolution
took place within the governmental pyramid, it is too early to make
univocal judgments and conclusions.
Naturally, in this case the question occurs. Which is the reason why
before in case of such quarrels public apologies were not made? What
has changed within the governmental pyramid creating need for public
apologies? The point is that the representatives of this pyramid
will apology only to each other but not to citizens who stand lower
than they do. But on the other hand, they are evident to have never
asked for apology to each other before either. The point perhaps is
that previously none of the governmental pyramid representatives
cared for the public opinion because everyone set hopes on Robert
Kocharyan standing at the peak of the pyramid, everyone used to trust
their destinies to him and considered exceptionally his opinion on
their quarrels.
Now perhaps, this trust lacks in case of Serge Sargsyan. Possibly
the parts of the pyramid start looking for protection in other
places including the society. This is the reason why the public’s
opinion became important for at least a part of them. The point is
not of course about Ruben Hayrapetyan and his "sparring partner"
Gagik Tsarukyan. Tsarukyan is likely not to be satisfied with
inner-governmental version of reconciling with Hayrapetyan. He was
offended in front of the society so the problem is to be solved
before the society too, a public apology was to be made. This is the
expression of the change that happened in the governmental system.
They started giving always more importance to the public perceptions,
they started understanding more that the public opinion is power in
any case even if it yields to police bludgeons by now. But this change
of emphasizing the public opinion can hardly be determined by the
change of thinking of the governmental pyramid, or the modernization
of its system of values. Merely, the pyramid started inspiring less
confidence to its parts and they started seeking for new sources of
security in this case in the public opinion.