APATHY REBELLION

Lragir.am
29/04/10

Are the events taken place in Kyrgyzstan lessons for Armenia? A
discussion in this connection was held on April 29 in the Armenian
Center for National and International Studies with the participation
of the ACNIS Director Richard Kirakosyan, ACNIS expert Manvel Sargsyan
and OSCE Yerevan office expert Grigori Mikhalski. Mikhalski stated
that judging by the violence that happened and the unpredictability
of the situation, what happened in Kyrgyzstan can hardly be called a
revolution. Mikhalski noted that he would be very cautious in making
general conclusions.

ACNIS senior expert Manvel Sargsyan noted that what happened in
Kyrgyzstan is a collapse of state and public systems this is the
reason why it worried all CIS countries including the Armenian
government. Manvel Sargsyan believes dynamic changes happening in
different countries of the world make other countries’ public systems
face the danger to collapse. At the same time he noted that no country
can be collapsed if it did not reach the edge of collapse.

Manvel Sargsyan says the power in Armenia should not rejoice at the
fact that the public is disappointed with the opposition. According
to the expert, if the public does not trust a political force,
it generates a rebellious mood, and the rebellion does not serve
political purposes, and it can be used by some political forces for
a rebellion that is not in the interests of the state.

Manvel Sargsyan noted that the Armenian authorities take no steps to
overcome public grievances through systemic democratic reforms, but
the power trusts external factors. At the same time, he noted that the
system of power in Armenia, unlike the one in Kyrgyzstan, is based on
the oligarchic conspiracy, so it is much stronger than the Kyrgyz one.

According to Manvel Sargsyan, this represses social activity.

The next factor repressing social activity, according to Manvel
Sargsyan, is the fear from external danger, that the authorities may
at any time inspire the public through their propaganda machine.

Manvel Sargsyan does not know where this indifference will bring,
but the expert believes, however, that apathy is not so far from
the rebellion.

He also noted that the events taking place in Kyrgyzstan and in other
countries, hint about the enhancement of the role of the opposition
in the world, and this role, in the sense of responsibility for the
situation, becomes equal to the role of the ruling elite.