ROUBEN HAKHVERDIAN. "WHEN INTELLIGENTSIA DOESN'T LEAD, THE PEOPLE BECOME THE INTELLIGENTSIA"

Rouben Hakhverdian declared himself a craftsman and left the intelligentsia circles at March 11 meeting at "Hayeli" club. At the same time, he stated that when the intelligentsia doesn't lead, the people become the intelligentsia. He added that unfortunately, this factor spared neither the supporters of Levon Ter-Petrosian nor those of Serge Sarkisian from mass hysteria and psychosis. He came to this conclusion after what he saw over TV. "I didn't go to the rallies. I couldn't bear "Levon is president" slogan, that person is absolutely unacceptable for me. And the people went to the rallies not for his sake, but against the injustice," Ruben Hakhverdian said, emphasizing that Levon Ter-Petrosian is a political corpse for a long time already. As for the government, Hakhverdian said that it died on March 1-2. "The government died that day as a government. Levon hated the Armenian people and spoke scornfully. While Robert speaks as if he were the president of the richest country of the world, when, in fact, he is the richest president of a poorest country. He killed the dreams of the youth to have a business in this country." Hakhverdian said.
In the course of the first four years of Robert Kocharian's government the personal respect of Ruben Hakhverdian to him decreased. "He became a historical figure by opening fire on the people. While the young and "promising' journalists asked him idle questions, instead of questioning him about the businesses that he runs. The lying is on governmental level," Hakhverdian said. Evaluating the recent events as a sobering slap in the face of the government, Hakhverdian explained that the special sevices of the USA and Russia picked up their "generals' to carry out their plans. "America chose Levon Ter-Petrosian to rebel the people on social grounds and to lead them to massacre," Hakhverdian emphasized.
Hakhverdian believes that the only way to hold proper elections is to withdraw Robert Kocharian and first of all Levon Ter-Petrosian from politics. "Their mentality is that or the communists and dictators," he said. According to this logics, Hakhverdian doesn't want his son to become anybody's "slave" and is going to send him to live abroad, as soon as he comes back from the army.
"I am a person, I have the right to get disappointed and shocked. I can compose songs, but I don't see any sense in that, as nothing has changed in the cultural sphere since I was 18," he said. Hakhverdian doesn't think that he is the one to outline the actions of the people and tries to observe the situation from very personal viewpoint.
While publicist Karine Hakobian confronted Hakhverdian's opinion and stated that we should shape public and political institutions. "In our country till now the government enjoys the power, while the opposition suffers," she said, adding that the journalists also need to do a lot to correct the current situation.
By Nana Petrosian, translated by K.A.