‘We Need Profound, Radical Reforms’: Former HAK Member Questions Opposition Tactics

Today’s meager political discourse is full of big political gossip and various intrigues, said former member of the Armenian National Congress (HAK), creator of the group Alliance of Online Liberals (also known as “3A”) Karapet Rubinyan, speaking to journalists in Yerevan today. According to him, in this situation there’s a search in the political arena.

“Within all opposition forces outside of the [Armenian National] Congress, as well as, it’s possible, the entities inside the [Armenian National] Congress there are meetings and discussions in which I too have participated, where there are no secrets,” he said.

Rubinyan recalled the talk surrounding second president of Armenia Robert Kocharian and said, “In my case, it’s ruled out that I might suddenly appear in a ‘team’ that defends Robert Kocharian. That is from the realm of the extremely fantastical.”

The former HAK member also expressed his opinion on the dialogue between HAK and the Sargsyan administration, saying he’s not against dialogue, on principal.

In his opinion, the Pan-Armenian National Movement (founded by HAK leader Levon Ter-Petrossian and can be considered HAK’s predecessor) was quite radical, but educated, by nature and used civil disobedience techniques.

“In 2008, prior to Mar. 1, a flawless struggle was underway which was to have led to the authorities’ resignation. But the authorities surpassed all borders of humanity, they fired at citizens and mass persecution began,” he said.

After these events, continued Rubinyan, HAK should have restored its power and resumed the fight with the same spirit.

“However, on Mar. 1 of this year we noticed that some changes took place. A drastic change of HAK’s course and the announcement that a peaceful, unvarying path has been chosen — it surprised me too,” he said.

Rubinyan said he would’ve agreed to such tactics “if day by day we didn’t fail the country.”

“An extra day, an extra month that this regime exists simply destroys us because we are competing with our neighboring countries and in these conditions, in a shameful way we are losing this competition.”

Though it’s good that there will no longer be political prisoners, he continued, having such a disencumbered situation is not a way of saving the country.

“In such an unburdened situation why should the regime begin to negotiate its resignation, that’s what I don’t understand. So, logic leads to that, that through peaceful means everything will lead to regular parliamentary elections,” he said.

Rubinyan believes that if HAK has seats in parliament (which it currently does not have), to a certain extent the quality of parliament will increase in Armenia.

“But is that what our country needs? We need profound, radical reforms in all sectors, to liberalize the economy, to be free from oligarchs. Will these developments lead to that? I don’t think so,” he concluded.