DECISIVE, RESPONSIBLE, VICTORIOUS
Yerkir
21.05.2008 12:45
Yerevan (Yerkir) – ARF Bureau representative Hrant Margarian made a
speech at the 30th congress of the party, held on 21 May in Yerevan.
Below are excerpts from Margarian’s speech.
Each ARF congress is a turning point in a way.
We asses the past four years, assess strictly, with criticism and
trust and outline the future task with responsibility. This 30th
congress is right on time; we have had two national elections.
Regardless of our will, this congress is held in circumstances that
followed the Armenian presidential election. The Republic of Armenia
and our role in it are the key issues of this congress. So, it is
crucial to objectively analyze the road we have passed.
We managed to offer clear objectives, we gathered many supporters. It
was crucial that after the positive election in May, we were planning
a stable progress for our country. We nominated our own candidate in
the presidential election with several goals. Though we stood by the
country’s authorities in 1998-2008 and contributed to the progress, we
also had voiced our discontent about such things as insufficient fight
against corruption and illegal behavior of criminal and half-criminal
elements. And we entered the arena as an alternative to both the
former and the current authorities.
We were sure that our participation would contribute to
democratizations, fair elections. Some think that we would have been
in a better position in the presidential election if we had refused
to join the ruling coalition after the May election. We were being
realistic. In our view, the period between the parliamentary and
presidential elections was too short and we could not make a sharp
turn. We attempted to form new election blocs and we made serious
offers.
We did not success in the presidential election, we failed, I have
to confess. The new realities that emerged in the parliamentary
election gave hope that the presidential election too would be held
a civilized environment and not among the deaf and the blind. But it
was not the case.
Presidential elections in 1996, 1998, 2003, 2008 were held in tense
environments, and two of them, the 1996 and 2008 elections resulted
in bloodshed. Is it an accident that in both those cases the same
person was involved?
First, as a ruler and then as opposition. We should not be primitive
and assess all the past presidential elections the same way; I’ll
talk about the last one only.
The social situation, injustice, corruption, impunity of the elites,
illegal monopolies, nepotism, obstacles for private entrepreneurship
and human rights violations have resulted in emergence of a large
opposition mass.
The man whose rule is remembered with hatred came to the arena
after ten years of silence. His policies were rejected in our
country. Knowing this well, he hid behind the discontent existing in
the country. It turned out that he had not come to engage in program
or ideological struggle. The situation became tense every day, the
election atmosphere became polarized.
The election now was not between the candidates but between the
current and former authorities. Those who were scared by the former
rulers were voting for the current rulers and those unhappy with the
current rulers were voting for the former rulers.
For the first time in the recent period, we were entering the race
with our own candidate, and we have to credit our candidate for his
positions, behavior and courage. Good job, comrade Vahan.
We managed to show that we are a party of our own and that our
cooperation and competition do not affect the principle essence
of Dashnaktsutyun. We were an alternative with our platform, our
national vision and our moral concepts. Many would ask: why did the
Dashnaktsutyun entered the coalition after criticizing the current
authorities? What happened in the country was an effort of a colored
revolution with the same methods and mechanisms used in Georgia,
Ukraine and Serbia.
We are not an anti- force and will not be one in future. We are not
anti-American, anti-English or anti-Russian but we know how to consider
our sovereignty and dignity above everything else. We have a national
issue, Artsakh liberation. Why do international organizations, NGOs,
foundations, the so-called institutes use so many people, money to
attempt a regime change in this country or weaken the authorities of
this country? The so-called colored revolution failed. He resorted to
the minimum trying to have foreign forces intervene. And the March 1
tragedy happened. The March 1 was not in the interest of the country,
the people and the authorities. And it was in the interest of him only,
and he got it, unfortunately.
The authorities were not ready for March 1; the opposition was. The
confrontation was in the interest of foreign forces only and in the
person who does not like his country or people. The confrontation
opened way for foreign involvement and weakened out country. The
weakness of the state questions the sovereignty and security and
confidence in the international arena. We could not sit and do nothing
in this confrontation. We as well as many others had the feeling of
the danger during the election period and we did our best to prevent
this result, we tried to call to senses, we tried to form a public
opinion. But our calls did not reach their goal.
There were two poles: this type of opposition was on the one
pole, speaking of democracy, human rights but counting on foreign
forces. Power was not even a political goal.
The anti-Karabakhtsi movement is an anti-national movement. We
should realize that we are one nation, we all should be Karabakhtsi,
Javakhktsi, Nakhijevantsi. The artificial separations lead us to
divisions. We remember the days when dozens of newspapers were banned,
when a party was banned, when politicians were behind the bars and not
on squares and when corruption, impunity, injustice were as spread
as now. As hard as we try to hide the Armenian National Movement,
change the name, we see the ANM’s ears.
The winning side was on the other pole. It did not win the election
fairly but neither we, nor the international community have disputed
the results.
The current authorities are the successor of the ones in power for
the past ten years but we should not consider them as completely the
same. It was clear that the government was under huge pressure from
outside. The outside pressure has increased today: they have set up
a force – a network – inside the country to seize the fortress from
inside. We had no choice in this situation, we had to stand by our
statehood, we had to show we can solve our problems on our own. And we
signed a political agreement with the president-elect. Our presence
in the coalition is understandable as long as the threat exists. But
the endurance of the coalition is a condition for the clear goals,
and we will evaluate the results once in a while. There are positive
steps and there are hope and expectations.
The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly has put forward demands
for our country, and many are happy. But the truth is that before
Resolution 1609, the coalition parties had assumed the same goals. Why
are they not glad about the coalition agreement that we will implement
regardless of Europe?
Also, what the coalition has agreed to accomplish is in line with the
Dashnaktsutyun goals and principles. What were we supposed to do? Some
think we should have not jointed the ruling coalition and become
opposition. Is this a responsible political position? No, and no again.
I would also like to speak about some other issues. I would like
to address the Lebanese Armenians who are now in difficult security
conditions. We are standing by you, we share your concerns.
Javakhk’s struggle for autonomy in Georgia is stalled. Our delicacy
has met the international community’s and Georgia’s silence wall. We
need to reignite our struggle. It is necessary that Armenia use its
international capacities in this issue.
Karabakh: we believe in talks for settling the conflict. But we also
see it crucial to demand form the international community to first
ensure guaranteed peace. Otherwise, Azerbaijani threats and western
sponsorship threatens our positions. To talk when there is a guarantee
for security.
Comrade Marukhian, after Armenia’s independence, would not use the word
Diaspora. He would say abroad. Everything should be done to integrate
the sections of our nation in one nation. The Dashnaktsutyun is a
national party and is the only organization that was able to unite
our nation in absence of statehood. We are long a political factor
abroad. Our fight there is for Armenia and Armenians, for their
security, prosperity, national demands.
Let’s praise everybody, whether a Dashnaktsutyun member or not, who
have worked hard for the international recognition of the Armenian
genocide.
Our position is right, our struggle is successful. The
Turkish-Azerbaijani reaction, their efforts to counter us using
all their capacities, comes to prove this. But taking into account
their activities, we have to reorganize our agenda. The recent events
show that our country is an open field for foreigners. Expansion and
strengthening of our organization is an issue of national security. To
maintain our country’s independence, sovereignty is possible only
with a powerful Dashnaktsutyun, literally.
We are the organization of the Armenian people. We do not correct our
agenda. It offers an agenda to us. We are a state-political party in
the Republic of Armenia, and a national-liberation party elsewhere. At
one place we engage in lobbying, in other places, in maintaining the
Armenian identity, culture. There are no contradictions here; these
are parts of our wholeness. The security and sovereignty of Armenia,
the prosperity of the people and governance are our issues, Karabakh’s
unwanted struggle load is ours too, the demands of Javakhk and Lebanese
Armenians’ concerns are ours too, the burden of a Marseilles Armenia
school are ours too. This is how different the Dashnaktsutyun is.
Meanwhile, everything is very clear: the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation is the organiztion of the Armenian
people. Decisive. Responsible. Victorious.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
