Pashinian`s Reelection Gift To Armenia: New Arrests And Victims
Against the backdrop of the latest developments in international politics, we too have been following, with heightened concern, the chaos that has gradually intensified in Armenia since the elections. Such unnecessary and dangerous instability can only serve to destroy the hopes and expectations that all well-meaning Armenians hold for the future.
In the atmosphere created by the current political situation, the re-elected Prime Minister has been making hasty and short-sighted decisions. Unprecedented numbers of arrests and prosecutions are taking place with alarming speed, ostensibly in the name of the state and supposedly with the aim of cleansing the Armenian world of “general corruption.” Had Mr. Pashinyan been familiar with the novel The Decadence, perhaps he would have recognized the undeniable truth that the “Decadence” has neither an address nor a homeland: the universe is its stage, while the diseased human soul is what nourishes and perpetuates it.
It is also worth noting that this novel seems almost to have been written for the benefit of those political leaders who, acting under the illusion of having been sent from above, pursue their own ulterior motives while claiming to establish order according to universal standards. It serves both as a warning to them and as a reminder of where such ambitions can lead.
Why should I hide it? I too was among those well-meaning people who hoped that, after being re-elected, Prime Minister Pashinyan would come to his senses and, at the very least, reconsider and reform his deplorable, defeatist, and unpatriotic domestic and foreign policies. Alas, what else can we call such naïve goodwill on our part, if not misguided naivety?
Under the present circumstances, it is not difficult to conclude that the harsh arrests being carried out by the Pashinyan administration against the opposition and the clergy, serve two deeply rooted ulterior motives:
A) Neutralize the opposition.
B) Silence and bring the clergy under its control.
Nikol Pashinyan does not care how many children the Catholicos of All Armenians has fathered, nor how many daughters of wealthy Armenian benefactors he may supposedly have been romantically involved with, assuming, of course, that any of this were actually true. What matters to him is that the Catholicos remain silent and submit unquestioningly to his authority and policies.
At this point, it seems to us that the schemes of the ruling administration have no end.
Let us, for our part, acknowledge a simple reality: there is no perfect political leader in this universe, just as there is no perfect senior clergyman.
Beginning with the clergy, we would ask the Prime Minister: How can a normal human being live an entire lifetime deprived of the warmth of a woman’s love and physical affection, whether that person is a Catholicos, a patriarch, or an ordinary priest?
For your knowledge, women of different backgrounds and ages exist everywhere, that take advantage of the loveless existence of vulnerable clergymen. Through calculated approaches, they lead their victims in whatever direction they desire, benefiting of the financial resources and authority associated with the clerical office.
But let us not forget that there are also honorable women who, without pursuing any ulterior motives, genuinely fall in love with members of the clergy.
So, what is the solution in the present circumstances? That is a question we should put to every Christian, regardless of nationality, and also to every Armenian believer.
No prosecution. No condemnation. No malicious gossip.
If we sincerely wish to reform the Armenian Church, then we must put an end to the outdated system of celibacy and enforced chastity that has been handed down to us from the Middle Ages. And that should be the end of it.
At the same time, it is worth recalling that during our years in Africa, we often witnessed Irish missionaries and nuns dancing together with great enthusiasm during celebrations of Irish independence—embracing one another as they danced tango, rumba, and slow dances.
During one of our visits to Greece, we were shown monasteries built on two adjoining hills. Between the two monasteries, there was a secret underground passage—a tunnel dug day and night by young monks deprived of affection, using primitive tools. Needless to say, this was done with the permis-sions and blessing of the Abbot and the Mother Superior of the convent.
Returning to our own country, and to the authorities’ childish and laughable efforts to find “saintly” presidents, our African experiences once again suggest something quite different.
The time has come to ask our beloved Prime Minister: In what country does corruption and unlawful privatezation not exist—or has never existed—within the highest circles and levels of government?
Let Pashinyan take a moment to think about those around him and, reaching out to his friendly Azerbaijani counterpart, President Aliyev, touch his conscience. Let him demand an explanation for the billions of dollars that Azerbaijan’s president and his daughters have allegedly appropriated.
Yes, let our Prime Minister explain that to his own circle of “winged angels.” I will once again draw upon my experiences in Africa. During the twenty years we lived there, as successful businessmen, we worked with and, when necessary, shared profits and paid bribes to a couple of presidents and members of their administrations.
Having participated in the process of distributing shares of the proceeds, we understand very well the pressures and circumstances that can drive political leaders toward illegal activities. In our experience, the principal reason was generally the obligation to meet the financial needs of numerous people within their circles.
Very often, these expectations were not limited to the president’s immediate entourage; they extended to entire tribal or community groups.
To be a president and resist such pressures—without accepting what are euphemistically called bribes or “shares” from foreign businessmen—is, in our opinion, a truly extraordinary feat.
By saying this, we are in no way attempting to justify corruption or the accumulation of illicit wealth. Nevertheless, it seems that resisting such temptations can sometimes be extremely difficult, if not an almost impossible feat.
