GENERATION CHANGE OF THE LEADERS
Lilit Poghosyan
Hayots Ashkhar Daily
10 Sep 2008
Armenia
RAFFI HOVHANNISYAN, already an ordinary member of "Heritage"
parliamentary faction, responds to our questions
"Why did you decide to resign from the post of Head of the faction
just the same way as you laid down the functions of the Head of the
party? Is it really because of the lack of time?"
"There is no problem in terms of laying down functions. My colleagues
are very kind to refer to my being very busy. Of course, there are
some personal considerations. For instance, I treat the activity of
our parliamentary delegations very seriously, on the level of both
the plenary sessions and the committees. There is a series of lectures
in the International Academy of Diplomacy etc.
But the main reason that was not reflected in yesterday’s press reports
is that I do believe in the idea of a regular succession, i.e. the
change of generations. If the given society, state or party wants
to have prospects, it should never stick to one individual. That’s
why after the last session, the administration made a decision to
continue the collegial administrative activities under the leadership
of Anahit Bakhshyan.
Yesterday’s decision of our party reflects not only my personal
considerations but also the commitment of "Heritage" party to be always
ready for=2 0a succession of generations as a small and modest unit
of our society and political life. I believe Armen Martirosyan is
a young, promising and intelligent leader and is capable of heading
the party. Moreover, the other factions also have young and promising
leaders who should be given the opportunity to move forward. And it
is necessary to project this model onto the panorama of the whole
society."
"What is your attitude towards the Republican’s decision on replacing
Tigran Torasyan with Hovik Abrahmyan?"
"To the best of my knowledge, it is the party’s interim decision
that is subject to a final approval. When the final decision is made,
we will express our attitude and viewpoint. One thing is clear: such
decisions, whether concerning the replacement of the human recourses
or the contents of the activities, should not be the result of shadow
and corridor discussions; they should reflect public political
processes. Society should be aware why such decision was made and
what the underlying arguments are.
I hope this is not a successive small trick such as a ‘castling’
of posts, change of the ratio of forces and so on. As a citizen,
I anticipate to hear the answer to those questions."
"Are you going to participate in the PACE fall session or is the
decision to resign as a member of the delegation final?"
"No, I haven’t resign ed as a member of the delegation. I have
temporarily terminated my participation in the activities of the PACE
plenary session for well-known reasons. I hope I will be given the
opportunity to continue my participation till the 21st of September.
I believe some steps will be made and should be made. If we speak
about bold and courageous steps, such boldness, brevity and courage
should first of all be seen inside Armenia while solving internal
social problems. Perhaps it is a fantastic expectation, but I believe
that I will have additional grounds to revise my decision before
September 21."
"Did you also impose conditions on the Council of Europe, saying that
you will not participate in the activities of the Parliamentary Council
unless the latter demonstrates faithfulness to the high criteria it
has defined?"
"I never speak to anyone in the language of preconditions. When PACE
Chairman Mr. Pyutch came to Armenia, I had a private meeting with him
and spoke about the gaps in the spheres of democracy, equality and
rule of law observed both in Armenia and the organization led by him.
I want to participate in those activities, but not as a separate
‘star’ because I consider that modest though it is, my participation
is also important. I am ready to participate, but as a representative
of a country which not only realizes its national interests and
searches for solutions with20the neighbors but also meets the
democratic standards required for the Republic of Armenia and not
Europe. Abdullah Gul’s visit served as a good example for us. And we
are required to demonstrate the same generosity and mutual respect
inside the Armenian statehood, in relation to our citizens."