ARMENIA FUND HAS TURNED INTO A PRESIDENTOMETER
Hakob Badalyan
Lragir.am
13:26:25 – 01/12/2008
Armenia All-Armenian Fund held its annual telethon during which,
according to the official news release, 35 million dollars was
raised. It was twice as much as the sum raised in the previous
telethons, because the highest sum raised previously had been about
15 million dollars. All the nation can do is to celebrate and take
pride in such a growth, especially considering the global economic
crisis. If there were not for the crisis, perhaps at least one hundred
million dollars would be raised. On the other hand, probably the
crisis is the reason why so much money was raised. The point is that
perhaps the famous formula has worked which the Armenian government
has been circulating recently. It is the formula of the capital
which is bothered by the global crisis and is looking for a calm
place. Apparently, the wealthy of other nationalities participated
in the pan-Armenian telethon as well, who preferred sending their
money into Armenia Fund, knowing that it will go to stable Armenia,
far from crisis and trouble.
This hypothesis may seem to many to be an unserious approach to the
serious pan-Armenian event. However, the problem is that this serious
pan-Armenian event is made unserious by those who are organizing
it. Many may think that the content of the TV program is meant which
is unchanged for many years.
Som e details change, of course, such as the song and the video. For
instance, one year the video is shot in front of North Avenue, the
next year in front of the Erebuni Hotel, and the next will probably
be shot in front of a newly-built elite apartment building, but the
content of the telethon remains the same, with the same faces, the
same emotional speeches, the same "Armenian design", which allows
supposing that every year a lot of money is wasted on that program
and on air tickets and several weeks of accommodation for the groups
of officials, actors, hosts, showmen, since it is enough to show the
video of the previous years. For instance, the video of the telethon
could be shown for at least three years, and the money that would be
saved could be donated for a program that the foundation carries out.
Although I spoke for an entire paragraph, nevertheless the unserious
approach of the organizers does not concern the content of the
TV program.
The problem is the approach towards the telethon as a phenomenon. The
impression is that we are competing with ourselves to prove
something. The telethons, the pan-Armenian donations have become
something like a math quiz where only figures are important. It
is important who donated the most, who gives little although could
have donated more, what percentage of one’s possessions one gives,
and how much was raised in the end to announce another re cord. And
the record should be presented as another merit of the government.
For instance, under one president the Armenians raised this much,
it means that president is the best. In other words, Armenia Fund
has turned into an instrument for measuring the reputation of the
president with money, a peculiar presidentometer. More exactly, they
have turned it such, thinking that it affects the society. However,
the real effect is that the society, the Armenian society, is gradually
becoming disappointed with the pan-Armenian donations. Evidence to
this is the sums donated by ordinary donators, which is shrinking year
by year, and records are set through donations by millionaires. The
2008 telethon is a classic example. 35 million dollars was raised. In
fact, however, only 5 million is a pan-Armenian donation in the direct
sense of the word, and the other 30 million had been pledged by the
Armenian millionaires at a dinner with the president of Armenia a
few days before.
Certainly, the millionaires are also Armenians but the problem is
that if 80 percent of the pan-Armenian donation is raised by a few
Armenian millionaires, and only 10-20 percent has real pan-Armenian
geography, serious doubts about the pan-Armenian nature of Armenia
Fund occur. More exactly, those doubts occur among the Armenians
worldwide, or may already have occurred, since the volume of donations
is "sustained" by millionaires only. Why is it so? T his is a question
which requires a serious study, a serious analysis of the activities
of the foundation, reconsideration of approaches, unbiased summary of
results. However, it is possible that nobody cares for this because
the millionaires are important, with whom the government may always
make arrangements, deals on money in return for something, and take
care of propaganda. And the practical aspect will be what it will be.