“This society has no illusions of living well” (video)
The cultural figures, voicing negative phenomena in Armenia, aren’t surprised at April 2 parliamentary elections. “The system of values, which has our society, implied that we would have such results,” says Ruben Babayan, Artistic Director of the Puppet Theatre. Actor Sergey Danielyan has other observation, “The authorities very well assessed the nullity of the population and arranged their cards in a right way, and did what they were supposed to do. I cannot understand in that case why did we live through March 1 events, electoral struggle?” The society doesn’t have those standards, by which it must be guided while making political election. And when the election is not intellectual, it becomes mechanical- vote for money. Sergey Danielyan comments, “It isn’t the society, which has illusions to live well, it is the low quality society, which has as much as it needs. The people, who need more, have already left.” Ruben Babayan stresses the role of culture, “We need development of culture, we need good education and enlightenment. Culture, roughly speaking, is toothpaste, and the society is teeth. If you do not use culture, your teeth are damaged. If you do not want them to spoil, use culture.” The right to election is given to a person from the birth, but not everybody can realize it, “We undermined it, making a little ceremony of doing a favor to someone or a means to earn little money,” says Ruben Babayan. People take to the streets, when the authorities threaten the contents of their pockets. This happened during Electric Yerevan, 100 drams fight and other similar cases. You cannot see a case, when the society protests after revelation of any corruption case. “We haven’t formed society during these 25 years. We haven’t been able to establish any values, so that people can understand why they live,” says Sergey Danielyan. People want to live well, but they can live well also in other countries. And there will be welfare in their own country, when the citizens try to create a country based on laws.
