“168 Hours” has been asking for the opinions of taxi drivers on this or that topic for quite a while now. Taxi drivers complain about nearly everything and mainly pinpoint at the injustice, poverty, immorality and the criminal environment of Armenia. This time we decided to hear their opinion on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, but they have so many daily problems that no matter what, they change the topic to discuss their issues. Most of them refused to comment on the topic, reasoning that they have so many things to worry about that they really have no mood to talk about foreign politics. Some claimed that the Armenian authorities are continuing the Armenian Genocide.
To prove what he said, driver Gevorg brought up a good example.
“My neighbor is unemployed for the past 15 years: He traded here and there, didn’t earn any money and redeemed his debts with the money that he had saved. He has three children; two years ago, they convinced his wife that she can earn a good living in Turkey. He sold whatever he had and sent his wife to Turkey. His wife called him and said that she was earning money by cleaning people’s houses and sent the money back home. That man kept on telling his wife to get up and come back to Armenia, that the kids can’t take it any longer, damn that money. His wife used to call him every day and said I’ll come today, tomorrow, the next month, and then the next month and never came. Last year, my neighbor got a loan, went to Turkey to get his wife and come back. He went and guess what he saw: his wife was selling herself to the Turks to earn a living. Now imagine what kind of situation the man with three kids is in. His family was disorientated. His wife is still there; the husband doesn’t want to see her face or her money, but that’s the money he needs to raise his children. Isn’t that genocide? What if the children turn into orphans?…Back then the Turks were raping Armenian women, making them work and suffer; now women are going and offering themselves to the Turks just to raise their children. Armenian state officials keep placing demands; they should ask themselves how much they differ from the Turks?” says driver Gevorg and adds that he doesn’t blame the women because it’s difficult to see how your child starves. “They were high-class people, the wife was literate, but you can’t blame her: I know them for 20 years and I know that the woman took that step because she had no alternative. She was working as a tailor here in Armenia, but now the people with the big bucks are bringing the clothes from Europe, who would wear the clothes made by her? Her children were starving to death and she did the right thing; as a mom, she was suffering. Now if Turkey decides to deport the Armenians, where is she going to go? Who will accept her? She lost her family,” says Gevorg and asks to end the conversation because he can’t drive while talking.
Press “STOP”
Before answering to my questions, driver Sahak says: “I might say things that I can stand up for and I might say things that may be dangerous to say out loud. If you feel that I’m getting out of hand, just press “stop” “.
Before 1988, he has worked as a jailhouse watchman for the Sovetashen and Meghri jailhouses. “I don’t feel that I have the right to speak about the genocide; I don’t know what arguments France had for making that decision. I don’t want to leave the impression that I know a lot and give certain evaluations. But look around you, take a look at how people are living and ask yourself: isn’t there a genocide going on in society? I don’t know whether the Armenian government is perpetrating this genocide, or the authorities are being told to do that. Perhaps the Zionists or Americans want to see a nation slowly get eliminated. Nowadays the needs of the people can be quickly fulfilled, it’s possible but people don’t have the desire to create conditions. Take a look at transportation, can you fix it? Of course you can. If each person does the job that he is competent of doing and actually wants to do it, then it’s possible. Today, all fields are trusted to incompetent people. This is a politics aimed towards something-how can an Armenian go against another Armenian? Can man be this evil towards his own country? Government currently has many loopholes, but it prohibits making amendments in the voting and criminal codes because that’s going to be against the government,” says Sahak, adding that he has graduated two institutes and has worked as a jailhouse guard, but currently works as a taxi drivr. Sahak, 46, has worked as a police officer for 22 years but has started receiving pension ever since he turned 46. “In 1998, I got up and left everything because I just can’t keep working like that all my life. How can I not fight with someone like Colonel Mushegh Saghatelyan, who comes in and starts shaking hands with the criminal? I can’t be nice to him. I obey the laws and I have honor. How can you stand seeing a general shake hands with a thief? How can you work when the former Minister of Internal Affairs Vano Siradeghyan takes out his gun and points it at Colonel Mushegh Saghatelyan and says ‘I’m going to shoot you’, but doesn’t?” says Sahak nervously and considers the current criminal environment as a way for some people to collect the dividends. “To tell you the truth, I try not to go deep into those kinds of things and what they say because if I do get interested, I have to join them and I don’t have the nerve for that. They all change; I don’t see anyone with bright ideas. Let’s trace the history of anyone and study his behavior stage by stage. Starting from Hayrikyan and ending with the rest of them. I know the past of all of them, I have seen their cases and know why they sat in jail. I can bring evidence for any case and prove that none of them are real men. Now they raise their voices and give lectures, which 20% of people understand, but the remaining 80% don’t. For example, the head of the Marxist party talks like a dictator and I enjoy listening to him, but probably only one out of twenty people understands what he’s saying: Who needs these fake political parties? Is there a law limiting the number of party members?” says Sahak and suggests his method for fighting against the criminals. “Everyone should take a look in the mirror, realize who he really is and ask himself if he has the right to speak against the criminals. The people who say that have to be clean themselves. Take a look at the authorities and opposition of Armenia-who has to go against whom?”
Genocide, taxes and corruption
Driver Vartan says that recognition of the Armenian genocide won’t play any major role in the life of the average Armenian as long as there is a split between the rich and the poor. “Recognition of the genocide turned into a topic for propaganda. They just express point of views with serious looks on their faces. Television and the presses take the genocide topic and turn it into propaganda. You see the same faces on television, now they call them “elite”. Those are the television channels that make them into superstars. You’re amazed to hear the things they talk about. You ask yourself: as if they solved the rest of the issues, now they’re worrying about this? Nobody is talking about the people, nobody proposes a solution to the problem. You hear them and think ‘what a wonderful country we live in: the same goes for the presses; I don’t read a lot, but when I open the paper, I read the propaganda spread by the same people, it seems as though everything is fine. But it’s not only good for the rich; what about the middle class? They’re not talking about what’s really going on out there and that’s why people get disappointed in everything. What can I say? I turn on the television, get frustrated, I read the paper-get frustrated, I can’t stand these illegalities. So, there really is nothing for the people, the authorities control the channels, the presses and the businesses. I’ll bring up a good example: my son-in-law say that he can’t keep his family by working day and night, so he said that he’ll start to do something on his own. He got a loan so that they can open up a car wash service. He knocked on everyone’s door just to get the documents and paid, knocked and paid. He managed to get the documents when all of a sudden, the taxation bodies came and said that he would be freed of paying certain taxes if he paid 25,000 dram to them instead and keep the car wash. My son-in-law said that he had no guarantee that if he gave the money they wouldn’t say that he hasn’t given the money, so they said that if he doesn’t give the money, then they’ll close everything,” says Vartan.
“It’s punishable”
Driver Gurgen says: “I liked what France did, it was very moral. People say that France approved the genocide bill based on its interests. Hey, weren’t you fighting for that all these years? What do the people want? They’re all protestants; whatever you give them, they still complain. Life goes on and everyone must understand that the genocide perpetrators must be punished,” says Gurgen and forgets what we were talking about. “Well, there’s nothing good at all. It was good back in the days of Communism, when we used to sit down with the family and spend some quality time. We used to invite everyone over to the house for parties. It was a real ceremony, we ate, drank, talked, we were all cordial. Everyone was open-hearted back then…now we have a lot to think about and that’s why there’s no mood for anything. For example, we celebrate the birth of a baby in the house. We try to make ends meet to set a normal table, but we can’t be fully happy because I know that the next day I have to work hard to pay back the loan that I took to set that table. Knowing that you have to pay someone back ruins everything. I can’t talk about anything joyous, but I really hope that the Armenian reality changes and things get better. You probably think that this person is a protestant and complains a lot, but I’m not complaining for no reason. Life has gotten harder. People try to earn a living and don’t have any time for anything else. There was a time when I used to come home, gather the family together and go somewhere special. We used to go out of town, to the movies, to the circus and it was a special kind of feeling. Now I’m no longer in the mood for those kinds of things. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, I haven’t taken my children on vacation for at least two days, not even to Lake Sevan or Tsakhkadzor. Demirchyan used to go around Armenia with Vazgen Sargsyan. I’ll never forget when I saw Karen Demirchyan amongst that crowd. I approached him as he was shaking everybody’s hand; I gave him my hand and he shook it. That man instilled hope, there was some strength in him. I was certain that he would change the life of Armenia.”