REPRESSIVE MACHINE "HANGS"
NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
Lragir.am
10/05/10
There are evident signs of the influence of the public opinion on
the governmental decisions. The process is moving forward very slowly
but the signs are already noticeable: there are not quite few facts
on how the government has to change its decisions as a result of
the influence of the public opinion. This occurs because the society
slowly finds effective methods of influence. The most important thing
is the awareness and free expression of the right to participate in
decision-making. No matter how trivial and "constitutionally designed"
this right is, awareness means a radical change in the management
system. This change has led to the fact that the authorities had
to face the Soviet syndrome, according to which considering public
opinion means not to possess dignity.
For instance, no one knows how events would develop in connection with
the Armenian and Turkish relations, if the society did not express its
clear position in this relation: that the establishment of relations
with Turkey is to take place within national interests. Denying
the impact of the public opinion on the power would be illogical,
even though the evidence that the Armenian and Turkish process was
initiated outside Armenia. International experts also believe that
it is the public opinion of Armenia and the Diaspora to hold the
Armenian authorities from taking decisions on the Armenian-Turkish
issue. The clear stance of the society does not let the government
to make anti-democratic steps in connection with the NKR settlement.
But a special activity is observed in the field of human rights.
Thanks to the press, mostly electronic, arbitrariness in law
enforcement system is in the public domain. It is particularly to
be emphasized the role of hra.am, which is engaged in human rights,
edited by Janna Alexanyan. With the publications the haze over the
police lawlessness was disclosed. The police had to accept the fact
that previously considered "internal kitchen" theme has become public
domain. In the media and social networks the atrocities committed
by law enforcers are openly discussed. The police chief was forced
to apologize, and this is also a sign that the syndrome of "taboo
power" ends.
The list of cases in which as a result of the public opinion influence,
the government was forced to change its decisions is already quite
impressive – Sasha Davtyan, Mariam Sukhadyan Vahan Khalafyan, of
course, the open-air Moscow cinema hall. In connection with the
last case the power is in a very complicated situation – insisting
on the decision to build a church on the site of the cinema hall,
the power and the church would have deprived themselves of public
support for a lifetime. Once off the decision, they will be forced
to admit that they listened to public opinion. Nobody knows what is
worse for the government – to go against the society or to acknowledge
its supremacy. Authorities are afraid of the "precedents".
But it is obvious that the society manages to dictate rules. While this
is only the germs of influence, because many spheres- the economy,
consumer market, social, political trials – still remain outside the
zone of influence of the society. But you can see the organizational
and even institutional factors: due to electronic communication society
can organize itself in a few minutes, and no one is surprised at seeing
young people collecting signatures, carrying placards, conducting
the procession. This wave is so powerful that the repressive machine
"hangs" because it is not programmed against normal civilian protest.