Yesterday is dead and gone
And tommorrow's out of sight
         Kris Kristofferson -- Help Me Make It Through the Night


President Serzh Sargsyan has a near-Lincolnesque opportunity when he takes office on April 9.

It is hard to imagine a country more divided for reasons other than war or maybe race – the more familiar culprits of foolish mass disagreement. And so it is that anyone who cares enough to have endured the past six weeks of misery, bloodshed and authoritarian oppression, yet remains here, owes himself/herself a chance by giving a chance to the new man in charge.

For the sake of a nation, let us replace doubt and rancor with a spirit of benevolence and belief in the possibility of a higher good.

Frankly, what are the options? Neither internal scorn, nor threats of economic sanction, nor international criticism has deterred Sargsyan in his resolve and belief that he is mandated to lead Armenia. Deaths in the street were hardly a speed bump on his path – regrettable, but not sufficiently significant to even merit a national day of mourning while the president-elect packed for his coronation at the Kremlin.

Sargsyan is among many men, including Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who have behaved disreputably these days – Ter-Petrosyan by constantly maligning Sargsyan, and Sargsyan by behaving in such a manner as to make the accusations stick.

And the outgoing president has awakened from the snooze he’s been in since turning over the state to Sargsyan last April, grouchy at all the noise interrupting his quiet ascent from head of a fairly mid-ranking republic to whatever substantial business deal awaits Robert Kocharyan.

When Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan died last year, it was almost as if Kocharyan himself had passed, in terms of public leadership. All eyes were on Sargsyan, the Anointed One.

But Kocharyan has proved that lame ducks can be vicious, and time yet remains before he is finished legislating Armenia backward in its efforts to establish democratic human rights.

While ingratiating themselves – the president and prime minister to their Russian patrons, and Ter-Petroysan to equally unholy men who would likely have turned on him as soon as their futures had been secured – these leaders have let down decent people.

One of them, though, Serzh A Sargsyan, has a chance to put things right. God help him that he does.

Let those who care about Armenia pray that the new president will stop the oppression that his predecessor has initiated by: granting amnesty to the wrongly arrested, allowing peaceful demonstration while justly cracking the heads of hooligans, allowing television and radio to report something other than state propaganda, and by convincing its enemies that, divided, Armenia remains no less forthright in protecting the security of Armenians in Karabakh.

Finally, by apologizing to the dead.

If on April 9, President Sargsyan’s first words of inaugural address were “I’m sorry”, this Armenia might believe that its new leader understands the mood of his people and is suitable to lead them.