Understanding of comprehension or some words about democracy

About a week ago the Azerbaijan newspaper published an article of Ramiz Mehtiyev, chief of the presidential administration of Azerbaijan about perspectives of the democratic development of the country.

Through the prism of the time passed, it is easier to analyze the understanding of the positions it fixes by mass media and some politicians and analysts. It would be naive to expect it not to be followed by criticism, accusations of the attempt of total propaganda of the views of ruling elite and the intention to change the vector of development of the political area in favor of the ruling party. Through the years of independence, the powers, as well as the society, have already hot used to the fact that each proposed model, either established or just imagined, causes a contradicting feeling of one's vulnerability among some representatives of national counter-elite. I think there is no need to say in this article about what we have attained through the past years and what have been executed for the sake of the political and economic development of the country. I think it is necessary to discuss other issues - not of lesser importance and urgency for each of us, which have become an object of discussions in the oppositional press by initiative of some state-mongers. Though, I would like to note that it is not often that the head of the high structure of the state administration sets an important and extremely urgent issue regarding prospects of development of Azerbaijani democratic model? In other words, the issue is as follows: democracy exists in our society, but whether it is a guest or a host is still a disputable matter.

I am confident that not all representatives of the national political area, both ruling and counter-elite were able to make the issue clear for themselves, though the basis of this thought of the contemporary development of the country was laid in the inauguration speech of President Ilham Aliyev, where he announced directly: "The political system in Azerbaijan must be improved... The positive experience, profitable and appropriate for us and not alien for Azerbaijani people must be applied in our country".

The basis of the presidential speech envisioned the start of the process of political modernization, based on transformation of norms of conduct and stereotypes, preparation of new directions of political development and formation of new actors of competitive racing. This is what the Azerbaijani society needs today, as it has chosen democracy as a priority in development. This is a factor, which must be taken into account by those, who are responsible for formation of new political culture in the country. The obvious thing is that the transformation of democratic norms and standards depends on those, to whom they are applied and who must execute them in the society - which is not only the representatives of the ruling elite.

I suppose, after reading my article, some readers will say that I raise some issues and ignore others groundlessly. In such cases I recall the expression of elected President Obama: "I am a democrat; my opinions will mostly coincide with the articles in "New York Times" than in "Wall-street Journal". But at the same time, I am sure that it is necessary to speak in open, first of all, considering the interests of ordinary people and not state-mongers or noisy "intellectuals", For as Franklin Delano Roosevelt said: "There is no need to avoid an open outlook on the state of the country.

The mass medias, discussing the article, did not notice the main message of powers - the task of formation of a new creative class of regulators. Most "analysts" rushed to discuss the issue of the necessary alterations to the law "On political parties", while new generation must form an area for its execution. Development of a personality is the main aim and the required condition of the contemporary society. In the long-term perspective this is an absolute priority of President Ilham Aliyev, as the transfer to the innovative development way of the country is connected with large-scale investments into human capital. It is all possible in conditions of social establishment, based on knowledge, which is an important tasks for years ahead. This is the essence of national idea, which should be spoken and pondered of.

The main task of the article was to show the vector of the social development, demonstrate in which direction we can lead it and what is necessary to do to form effective and self-sufficient perspective for future generations. Naturally, most people understand that democracy is not a fundamental concept, for there is no space that has reached the apotheosis of people power. As Kennedy said : "Freedom has many difficulties, which democracy is imperfect". Yet, for all factors of social development there is a concept of evolution, spoken of by President Ilham Aliyev in his inauguration speech and this can not be realized by the representatives of counter-elite.

Different forms of discussing factor of strong state, as a curbing element of national democratic development are frequently published by some mass medias. Yet, democracy should not be perceived as a personification of the idea of "night guard" , which is alien to us. No one has ever eliminated the idea of a strong central power as a developing factor of any country. This helped us secure stability and create perspective of the successful socioeconomic development. The violation of this balance can today create the precedent of weakened rates of overall democratic transformation.

In the issues of democratic development we need to base on the positions of national history, cultural traditions, modern, socioeconomic development and even the mentality of the Azerbaijani social group. We should understand that democracy is successful only under its convergence with the factors of national "Ego". As far as I remember, Russo blamed Peter the Great of the attempt to turn Russian people into Dutch or Germans instead of letting them be Russians and develop in this direction. Later the Soviet epoch tried to create the image of a single Soviet citizen, while now the fashion is the construction of "an intellectual" will total inclination towards the world order monopolists. Under my all respect to the famous geopolitical centers, I think it is clear that democracy can not be raised up in an alien environment. It requires natural conditions. In conditions of the change of the balance not in the Breton-Wood system and its currently, some "intellectuals" will probably have to review their own outlooks and ideal policy.

The post-election period created an opportunity for formation of a new political culture in the country and will promote creation of a different political area. It would be fair to say that this meets the interests of both powers and opposition. At the same time, I foresee some people to criticize us for the powers attempt to replace the role and importance of existing political organizations by spreading such ideas in the society, completely adjusting the whole political system to the interests of one party and so on. Everyone has sufficient fancies. There are people, who try to impose their own vision of this thesis on the society, calling them the transfer to authoritarian regime or the absence of the ideals of statehood. Yet, it is difficult to understand the argumentation of those, who wants to see the attempt to form the area of effective cooperation in the replacement of the form of interaction on the political area.

We have recently began to speak more often of the need to form a new political culture, as under the pressure of gradual westernizing of our life, the Azerbaijani society perceives the values of the post-industrial world, still alien to us. Thus, it is now time to change and transform the proposals, interesting for the public. At each time period, the culture encourages some things and bans others, creates definite stereotypes and damages others. In other words, culture is a fate of people and, as is known, it is inevitable. Our political culture promotes mutational and hybrid forms of individuals interaction. Each of as is a global individualist at heart. Considering it, the President said that the country is launching formation of a new political culture.

In other words, there is a basis for discussions about national political culture, instead of rushing back and forth in a search of any model. This will help establish the so-called left-wing, right-wing and centrists, whose task is to propose alternatives of developments. Unfortunately,  some counter-elite representatives still perceive the definition of ideology in the framework of the Soviet ideology and can not go beyond the usual standards of received education.

At the same time, there is another issue - is it a fashion, which we want to take from the West or a necessity? As is known, the Azerbaijani society did not have traditions of the ideological completeness of political organizations. Yet, any society has a motive for political action and it primarily depends on demand and proposal. The definition of the ideologies of the parties is an opportunity to transfer the relations to the level of intellectual and more effective cooperation, but not a set of empty and groundless accussations, which have no rational bases. According to Martin Luther King: "Let's not strive to meet the need for freedom at the cost of hatred and bitterness".

Here, I think, is necessary to touch upon the issue of mentality, as a factor, which plays an important role in the formation of political culture. First of all, it should be bore in mind that the mentality reflects the form of thinking, moral spirit, which unites the society with norms and stereotypes. This is an element of national self-conscience, which embodies the depth and richness of culture, its unique achievements and traditions, historical and social factors of modern development. It defines the things we are living with and the way we are following to the future. Yet another issue is that whether today mentality is profitable in conditions of westernizing of globalizing world? Mentality is changeable like everything in this world. Combining different historical stages and cultural factors, mentality in each period of time will naturally express the things that the society attempts to bind itself to at a definite moment. This is a definite amortization of the permanent transformation of national "Ego". In other words, the same "religious renaissance", we are currently observing in the world is a definite attempt to avoid the collapse of the west. Thus, the interaction between the mentality and political culture is today a matrix, which forms the agenda for the national political area, its form and content.

Though strange, another important aspect of accusations, addressed to powers is that the ruling elite is for a constructive dialogue. In this, some people see an attempt to create the so-called pocket  counter-elite. Perhaps, someone wants it to be like that, no one is secured from the intention to give yup. But if it is suggested to sit at the negotiation table and exchange the views of the country development, rational and effective proposals on the future of the nation, why then the word "constructiveness" causes a deep regret about one's opulence among some of party representatives, who perceive the social reality just in a form of a meeting passion of the end of the last century?

The important aspect of modern development is our readiness to transform the political field in the direction of new standards, stereotypes and norms. The oppositional idea is an important component of the development of the state and society, as without a constructive and rational criticism it is difficult to speak of effective interaction of all categories of the society. Yet, each actor of the political area must be aware that new time forms a new sociopolitical order, which envisions three important aspects of effective development - new political culture, new political area and new political actors.

Elnur Aslanov
Chief of department of political analysis and information of the Presidential administration of Azerbaijan
Exclusively for Day.Az.