Democracy & the Constitution
Nessuna at di cavoli e di re has an interesting post about a lecture she attended by the outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans. Although the lecture was on the U.S. Constitution some of the points Evans raised were particularly poignant given the appalling state of democratization in Armenia.
Mr. Evans also talked about so called “habits of democracy,” which must be developed by every generation in every country. Those are:
1. Tolerance, meaning basic level of mutual respect for each other. People need to listen to each other opinions, they need to be open minded and ready to let other people to influence their own thoughts, only then they deserve the right to be heard themselves.
2. Honesty and
3. Responsibility, meaning accepting some degree of account for the outcome.
If elected officials are responsible to public, and appointed officials are responsible to leaders who appointed them, the public is also responsible and not only for paying taxes and choosing leaders but also for standing up for their rights, when the latter are abused. People who chose not to do so ultimately get the government they deserve.
Democracy is a call for continuous reform; it is a never ending challenge. Each generation is faced with the challenge of developing habits and each generation must face these challenges anew.
I hope Armenians learned something from this, although they probably didn’t. Regardless, the full post can be read here.
Onnik, were there only foreigners present at the lecture? I bet no, and if there were Armenians who cared to attend the lecture I guess they knew they came to learn smth…
I really like your blog. I appreciate there are people who speak out. But, please, do not underestimate the little that is being done in this country. Why generalize? Not all Armenians are intolerant, dishonest and irresponsible. There are Armenians who care about this country and have embraced democracy as a value and brought it into their routine. My dad being a state official was fired because he was not corrupt (and don’t tell me this can’t happen in any western democracy…), the mayor or Meghri is fortunately still holding his position and I admire this man for his resilience and honesty. And there are more examples I can bring which prove Armenians are able to learn…
Sorry, I may sound too emotional, but it hurts when smb you appreciate seems not to notice the other side of the coin:-)
Comment by Christina — July 12, 2006 @ 10:37 am
Christina, I’m actually glad that you’ve reacted like this because it means that not only do you believe it, you care about it. That’s enough for me to hope, and I can only add that I hope there are more like you, your Dad and whoever else.
Unfortunately, many analysts think that vote buying, falsification and intimidation plus the very real threat of violence in some districts will define the next phase of elections. However, I hope that you’re right because it’s what all of us hope for. Really.
Once again, thanks for putting me in my place and giving us all some hope.
Cheers,
Onnik
Comment by Onnik — July 12, 2006 @ 10:41 am