What did you just say?

Now, I'm not one to seek out and watch interviews with Armen Rustamyan, or any other Dashnak for that matter. Wait, that's not true, sometimes they're fun. But, honestly, I had no intention of watching the recent Armen Rustamyan interview on A1plus' PS show, as I have a million other things to do currently. But a friend told me about a specific part, knowing it would catch my attention, and she was right. See for yourselves.

At 23:59 min, in a discussion regarding March1, 2008, the PACE monitoring committee, and HAK's work, he actually has the cojones to say that hey, in reality, it was Zaruhi Postanjanyan and I who did what was necessary to get things done at PACE for March 1. He says the prisoners (I'll clarify that in a second) would have been released anyway eventually, HAK tried to take credit for it, but it would have happened anyway, what effect did HAK have? What work did HAK do? Wow.
He's becoming almost as clueless as some of my other favorite characters - Vartan Oskanyan, Seyran Ohanyan, et al... Let's take a step back from the politics of the situation -- It's not even about HAK, and how much work they did behind the scenes, or Heritage, its about the fact that tens of thousands were out in the streets, and the work they did, and the commitment they had, the sacrifices they made - and the fact that the ARF was NOT out there, was not with, or behind the people. The mast majority of the ARF is located outside of Armenia, and couldn't give a rats a** about March 1, and those who were in Armenia were toasting it up in the coalition for quite a while. Even when they were out of the coalition, they were still in it. And they're still sitting on Santa Kocharyan's lap.*

Now, I didn't really want to watch the video, as I mentioned, and I really only paid attention to the last five minutes or so. One would think, that given Rustamyan's insistence that he was an active part of the duo that did the work to get the "prisoners" released, he would at least call them political prisoners. One would think. But...

at 23:07 Rustamyan refers to the political prisoners as "prisoners"
at 23:25 the interviewer, Aram Abrahamyan, refers to those imprisoned for political reasons after March 1 as "political prisoners," in trying to clarify who Rustamyan is referring to, and Rustamyan's response? "those prisoners"

Even now, even in this context, even in trying to support his point, he is unable to refer to them as political prisoners.
Unwilling, unable, ordered not to....

I suggest the ARF go back to doing what they do well, things like, oh, off the top of my head, actively voting for Nikoyan as head of Parliament. But dont worry, no one realizes that the ARF could have (gasp) voted for the Heritage candidate, or just abstained from the vote. And don't worry, everyone believes the ARF is opposition, because only two days after actively voting to put Nikoyan, one of the characters so heavily involved in the cover-up of March 1 as head of the NA, the ARF put in a tongue in cheek vote of no confidence in government. That was really, really convincing.



*I imagine it goes something like:

--Santa Kocharyan: And what do you want this year for Xmas, oh little political party?
----ARF/BHK: Santa, I want a molybdenum mine, and my friend wants a copper mine. Oh, and can I have a factory, too? And a car dealership? And a...
--Santa Kocharyan: That's a lot, little one!
----ARF/BHK: But Saantaaa, looked at all the times I had fake fights with the HHK, and made a mockery of the system, and ignored and trodded further on the downtrodden... Please Santa? I've worked so hard to get people to be so confused and hopeless and demoralized...
--Santa Kocharyan: Okay, we'll see. One mine for now, let's see how you do until Xmas. Maybe next year if you keep up the good work... We'll see...

Oh no! Not that!

Yes, I would love for opposition groups to find some kind of unified ground, band together, and get rid of Serge, his higher ups, and his cronies, the oligarchy, and all of their cronies.
So, when there are differences and divisions and problems between opposition groups, I want to know why, how can it be remedied, can we change it... because what I want most is a free and independent Armenia, democratic elections and democracy period, answers to March 1 and October 27, an end to the mass exodus and emptying of villages, an end to corruption and oligarchies,... the list goes on and on...
That having been said, in that context, I honestly find it hard to bat an eyelash that:

"Asked whether the ARF-D is going to cooperate with the ANC during the elections, the ARF-D senior representative said, "It is impossible." [link]

What the ARF is, now, is so much sadder to me than the thought that they won't join the real opposition.
But, wait, that's not saying much.
Nor is their statement any surprise.
Its still sad to me, very sad. So much potential...

And for once, I'm being quite serious.

Unity, Solidarity, and Principles, Giro?

I wasn't going to further expand on my thoughts on the ARF in the previous post, when I was astounded by the call for unity and solidarity and principles that the ARF's Giro Manoyan made in criticizing the US Western Region ARF's refusal to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Armenia's independence with Serge Sargsyan. I said that because i've been quite clear in the past on my feelings about the ARF. But, I would like to add a few things, nay, ask a question or three or more...

Where was the dedication to unity and principles and solidarity in the 1990s, when:

--the ARF In Armenia would not even address the First President of the Republic Levon Ter-Petrosyan as "President"

--the ARF In Armenia and abroad would write articles and spread rumors slandering the person and family of then President Levon Ter-Petrosyan

--pictures of LTP were used as target practice in ARF youth camps in the Unites States

Just a few questions. Because, I'm having some trouble understanding what you mean by unity and principles and solidarity... Where were these concepts when LTP was president, and why are they so important when Sargsyan is president? Well, we know the answer to both of these already...

...Or was it "solidarity" with the peacefully protesting Armenian People of Armenia and Karabagh when, in the Joint Communique of the ARF (along with the SDHP and the Ramgavars) in October, 1988, when the Karabagh issue was boiling, when the strength, momentum and unity of the people was undeniable, and the future held so many possibilities and dreams, including independence-- that October 1988, just 8 months after the Sumgait Pogroms, the ARF wrote:

"We also call upon our valiant brethren in Armenia and Karabagh to forgo such extreme acts as work stoppages, student strikes, and some radical calls and expressions which unsettle the law and order of the public life in the homeland and subject to heavy losses the economic, productive, educational and cultural life as well as the good standing of our nation in its relations with the higher Soviet bodies and also with the other Soviet republics. These zealous attitudes also provide the fodder for the ulterior motives of the enemies of our people."

There's clearly some type of unity and solidarity going on here, but it clearly isn't with the people of Armenia, and hasn't been for a long time. The statement by the Western Region ARF is the first, or among the first, that might possibly be a step in the right direction (but see my previous post).

And if there are any western region ARFers reading this, here's a recommendation, if truly you're interested in justice, democracy, and human rights in Armenia - use your vast network and start signing and disseminating the Petition to Free Tigran Arakelyan. That would be a good start.

And, with regards to the other undersigners of the Communique, well, the SDHP has redeemed itself, and the Ramgavars, well... does anyone even know what they're up to these days?

Confused, Fascinated, and Titillated by the ARF

I agree with Giro Manoyan, from the ARF Bureau in Armenia. And I agree with the US based ARF.

Sort of, that is, on both counts.

It’s confusing and titillating. But I’d be even more confused (and less titillated) if I were a US based Dashnak or Dashnak-supporter right now. That’s on top of how confused one must be to be a Dashnak in the first place.

Here’s the story. Apparently on Thursday August 18, the Western US office of the ARF made an announcement that they will not be attending the dinner event to be held by the LA Consulate celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Armenia’s independence – an event which Serge Sargsyan himself is planning on attending.

I say apparently, because I can't find the original statement – not on the Asbarez or Armenian Weekly websites, not on the ARFD website, not on the ARF Western US website, and not on the ANCA website. Reports of it are all over the news in Armenia, though.

Why, why the refusal to attend, you may ask. One would think that the ARF, being the nationalistic organization that it is, would jump to the occasion. Well, the only thing I can find is what is on the newspaper sites in Armenia (see Azatutyun, Epress, Tert), and I will quote them directly…

...representatives will not take part in the celebration, in protest against Sarkisian’s track record in office. It said his presence there will “cast a shadow on the idea of independence and denigrate the struggle of our people for the restoration of justice.”

the pan-Armenian party’s chapter described the Armenian president as a “discredited” individual who “tramples democracy and democratic values underfoot” in order to ensure “the reproduction of the criminal regime.”

The statement went on to accuse the Sarkisian government, of which Dashnaktsutyun was a part until April 2009, of committing “blatant human rights violations,” controlling the judiciary and sponsoring “oligarchs that continue to relentlessly plunder our people” in Armenia. It also condemned the government’s conciliatory policies towards Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Whoa, Nelly, whoa!!! Where did this come from, I thought to myself. “Restoration of justice?” “Criminal regime?” “controlling the judiciary,” “human rights violations?” “oligarchs… relentlessly plunder[ing]?”

On the one hand, this is great! Did they suddenly open their eyes, or at least are finally showing publicly that the Western US branch of the ARF is aware of and is acting on at least one smidgen of what is happening in Armenia? But then I searched Asbarez and the Armenian Weekly, the main media mouthpieces of the ARF in the US. I searched for what I would consider to be the main issues pertaining to “plundering,” “oligarchs,” “justice,” and “human rights.” I couldn’t find a single article on the Kiosks, on the 7 arrested youth, on the problems of corruption, the courts, and massive emigration, or on poverty. Do they have other issues in mind? But, alas, as I mentioned, I haven’t yet found the original statements, to help me better understand what else they may in fact have in mind.

What happened that these suddenly are important issues? Sure, last time Sargsyan went to LA, the ARF had a whole bunch of AYFers and others out on the streets chanting against him – but that had to do with Turkish-Armenian relations, nothing to do with March 1, political prisoners, human rights violations, etc… But this time around, somehow, NOT going to the celebration is important enough that they risked upsetting the main ARF office mothership in Armenia, which they succeeded in doing.

This is where things get even more interesting, and yes, titillating. Its very surprising that the Western US ARF would refuse to go to a nationalistic celebration held in Los Angeles, where a person of power such as Sargysan will be present; but it is also very surprising that they would do so on grounds that actually pertain to issues on the ground in Armenia, and not something related to Turkey or Genocide, or their usual topics of interest like what some Congressman said about the Genocide, which Armenian is running for City Council in Glendale, or which Diasporan Armenian camp has a new basketball court. Since when has the Western US ARF made ground issues in Armenia a priority? And enough of a priority, at that, to cause problems between the ARF in Armenia and themselves? Aaah....

But, such tension is a long time brewing, my dear readers.

For the living memory of 99+% of Armenians, the ARF has been centered OUTSIDE of Armenia – various locations in Europe, if I’m not mistaken: Cairo, Athens, and Beirut. It was only after LTP kicked the ARF out that they then reestablished themselves with their main hub in Armenia. But it was okay during Kocharyan, because the ARF was, and still is, very close to Kocharyan. As we know, that regime-friendliness continued when Sargsyan took over, and they were even part of the coalition for a bit. Now they continue to basically be part of the regime, though they play at being opposition. But I can only imagine what type of waves it must have caused the ARF to suddenly have an independent Armenia (which despite the propaganda, they were not so happy about – but that’s for another time), and then to all of a sudden have their point of power shifted from the Diaspora, to Armenia. Imagine all those individual and confused identities that make up the ARF, now with a real, living, breathing Armenia with real living, breathing, Armenians – Armenians who don’t identify themselves as Armenian just because they went to an Armenian high school, or talk about hating Turks and Genocide. The ARF, and most of the Diaspora for that matter, still hasn’t made the transition.

Add to that that at this year’s July ARF Congress, when the new worldwide executive body was elected, not a single US ARF member was elected – the North American representative is from Canada. This is probably the first time in the past 40 or so years that this has happened. How humiliating.

Add to that the following. In the recently released 80+ paged report by HAK on the grounds for early elections, there was a list of all of the corrupt parliamentarians – those who were both MPs and had businesses, which is illegal. Now, the ARF currently has 16 MPs (per their ARF parliament website), 5 of them are listed in the document. This and other corruption in Armenia’s ARF, from what I understand, has been the cause of a lot of concern and tension for the Diasporan ARF folks.

So, perhaps, just perhaps, there is more to the Western US ARF saying no to the celebratory dinner, and their willingness to upset the mothership ARF in Armenia, than the sudden burgeoning concern for human rights in Armenia.

Finally, let’s not forget the equally wonderful response by Giro Manoyan of the Bureau in Armenia, again, citing other sources, as I can’t find the original document anywhere, yet:

“Armenia is facing numerous problems. However, the 20th anniversary cements "our common achievements," says the comment.
"At such high-level functions, we have no right to be guided by personalized relationships and emotional steps in this kind of events,” Manoyan said. “Instead, we must use this occasion to express our unity and consolidation with such events, while remaining faithful to our principles.”

We don’t have the right to be guided by personalized relationships? That’s a new one, Giro. Unity? Faithful to Principles? You and the rest of the ARF have Mikaelian, Zorian, and Zavarian rolling in their graves. I think I’ve made my thoughts on the ARF in Armenia clear before, I need not repeat them here.

We’ve got ARF against ARF here. Will an order be given? If it is, will it be obeyed?

And I still wonder, why this event? Wouldn’t the defection of the ARF Western US have more of an impact if they started actually publishing information on what is really happening in Armenia, and about the regime, rather than boycott an event worth of celebration, because Sargsyan is going? Or maybe this is just the start of a whole new Western US ARF. What about the Eastern branch? I’m just full of questions.

So, I agree with Giro Manoyan, and his (supposed) emphasis on unity and principles. And the ARF is a hierarchical institution, I’m not sure the branches have the right to make such decisions for themselves, just like their individual members don't have the right to think for themselves (but then, if they did that to begin with, they wouldn't be members). And I agree with the (supposed) concern for human rights in Armenia that the Western US branch is expressing.

This is just fascinating. Absolutely fascinating.
And titillating.

Addendum 20 Aug: Lragir published the ARF Western US statement: English Armenian. I still dont see anything about it in the Armenian Weekly or Asbarez, though.

Guest Post on Evolving Relationships

Many thanks to ditord for posting my most recent musings as a guest post:

An evolving relationship between Dashnaktsutyn and Zharangutyun

Sudden incredible observations and realizations by the ARF

1in.am published an article a few weeks ago that I still can’t get out of my head it’s so ridiculous. Apparently, the ARF, now, suddenly, out of the blue, feels they need to start and coordinate a movement to defend and promote electoral freedoms and rights in Armenia. They have apparently come to the realization that there are some serious problems in the electoral process in Armenia; they state that people in Armenia are apparently unsatisfied with the electoral process, and something must be done. People must be educated, society must open its eyes and demand a lawful and just electoral system, and the system itself must be enforced such that the outcome of an election is accepted by all.

Wow. You must be kidding, I thought, even the tenth and twentieth times I read the article, which cites Ardsvik Minasyan of the ARF.

So, what brought about this sudden dedication to democracy to the ARF, the party that was a member of the coalition, and is closely linked to Kocharyan… the party that has yet to strongly condemn the massive human rights violations of this regime, including the events of March 1, and the political prisoners who are still behind bars to this day… the party that has yet to truly speak out against the oppression of free media in Armenia… the party that seems to have no problems holding a rally just about wherever and whenever it wants to [I think I may have even seen Bazaz tying the shoelaces of one of the ARF supporters - no, that’s not true, but it sure feels that way when real opposition youth are beaten and arrested, but no limitations are placed on ARF public gatherings]…

Did these realities suddenly occur to them because a) the presidential elections are coming up, b) they are pissed off at Sergik, c) Sergik is pissed off at them, d) they are still Kocharyan’s lackeys e) they want to sett up a distance between themselves and Sergik, f) they want to seem like legitimate, democracy seeking opposition… the list goes on, and obviously, these are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they all play well into each other, don’t they?

What doesn’t work, dear, dear ARF, is this poorly veiled attempt to suddenly have a truly sincere, unbiased interest and motivation for a fair and just electoral system.

[My apologies - I don't remember which online source the spectacular photo is from, maybe RFE/RL, or a1plus or lragir? - if anyone remembers, please let me know]