PROPOSAL TO CREATE A FRAMEWORK UNITING DIASPORA ARMENIANS
Noyan Tapan
Feb 23, 2010
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenians are great believers in
national unity. Actually, they are obsessed with it.
Yet, despite all the talk about unifying the Armenian people, writing
fiery poems and singing patriotic songs about the benefits of unity,
this most cherished dream remains elusive. Examples of failed attempts
at unity are aplenty. Even in perilous times, Armenians have remained
at odds and marched to the beat of different drummers.
However, as growing numbers of Armenians have come to realize that
unity is critical for their national survival, they have managed in
recent years to register modest successes in coalition building. Both
the worldwide Hayastan All Armenian Fund and the U.S.-based United
Armenian Fund consist of coalitions of major community organizations
that carry out humanitarian work in Armenia and Artsakh (Karabagh).
Ironically, as the proponents of unity have proliferated, so have the
schemes to unify Armenians, leading to potential new divisions on
how to achieve unification! There are now several such initiatives
in different parts of the world, ranging from bringing all Armenian
organizations under a single umbrella, to groupings of Armenian
professionals, compatriotic societies and Western Armenians. In a
recent column, the mere reference to the need for a Diaspora-wide
organizational structure generated an overwhelmingly positive response.
While all of the foregoing unity schemes merit serious consideration,
and their advocates may end up joining hands, I wish to present some
preliminary ideas which are the result of several years of reflection
and serious discussions with respected individuals and community
leaders in different countries.
My proposed scheme involves the establishment of a unity framework
representing Armenians throughout the Diaspora, excluding those
living in the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh who are already
represented by their respective governments. The estimated seven
million Diasporans would be entitled to elect one representative
for every 20,000 Armenians living in a particular electoral
district. Candidates meeting certain pre-established qualifications
can nominate themselves to represent the 20,000 Armenians in their
district. Voters have to be at least 18 years old, be of Armenian
origin, and have a verifiable electronic or mailing address in their
electoral district. Armenians meeting these criteria can participate
in the election, regardless of their citizenship, country of origin,
religious or political affiliation. The election would be organized
on the basis of the democratic principle of "one man, one vote!"
In countries with a large Armenian population, several candidates
would be elected to represent each group of 20,000 residents. While
in sparsely Armenian-populated regions of the world, where 20,000
Armenians may be spread across several countries, one elected
individual would represent the Armenian residents of those countries.
Initially, there may be a low turn-out of voters. However, as the new
structure gains strength and legitimacy, it will attract a greater
number of participants. Elections do not have to be carried out
simultaneously throughout the Diaspora. They could be held initially
in one region to test the feasibility of the electoral procedures. In
this regard, I wish to welcome the recent decision by French-Armenian
community leaders to hold nationwide elections in France next year
to select their representatives.
It is important to note that only those elected by the public-at-large
can truly state that they represent the Armenians residing in their
district, while other community leaders can only claim to represent the
members of their own organization! Consequently, the collective body
of 350 representatives from all the electoral districts throughout
the Diaspora can officially claim to represent Armenians worldwide,
outside of Armenia and Artsakh.
This collective body will have an elected chairperson or Speaker,
committees and subcommittees dealing with culture, language, religion,
education, foreign affairs, rights of Armenian minorities, relations
with Armenia and Artsakh, Genocide recognition, demands for redress
from Turkey, and financial matters.
This 350-member body shall meet periodically and make decisions on
the basis of majority vote. On certain critical issues, the body could
adopt decisions by a two-thirds majority. Its decisions would reflect
the views of the entire Diaspora, not just a particular organization.
The existing Armenian organizations will continue to function with no
hindrance or competition from this new transnational entity. In fact,
the community organizations could expand their reach and increase their
clout by lobbying the elected representatives of this new collective
body to adopt their respective agendas. Since today’s Diaspora leaders
are prominent members of their communities, it would not be surprising
to see many of them elected to this new entity by popular vote.
A key advantage of the new structure is the likelihood of its
recognition by the United Nations and other regional and international
organizations as a non-governmental organization (NGO) with the right
to represent and speak on behalf of Diaspora Armenians.
The representatives of the new entity in a particular city or country
can also interact with local authorities on behalf of all Armenians
residing in that region. For example, the recent dispute among
Armenian-Americans about which group should represent the community
in a meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton could have been
easily avoided if the proposed transnational body were in existence.
Furthermore, Armenian government officials as well as foreign
leaders would know whom to call when they need to contact the elected
representatives of the Diaspora.
The representatives of this new structure could also endorse candidates
in local or national elections in different countries. This role
becomes crucial in key elections or when multiple Armenian candidates
run for the same office and split the Armenian vote, resulting in
the defeat of all Armenian candidates. Those endorsed by this body
would likely enjoy the support of the majority of local voters.
Before attempting to implement such an ambitious initiative, several
important steps need to be undertaken:
1) A team of researchers would need to study similar schemes created
by Israel, Greece, Lebanon, Italy, and other countries to benefit
from their experience. Such a study could be carried out by the USC
Institute of Armenian Studies which would then formulate the best
mechanisms to conduct elections worldwide, including estimating
the number of voters in each country, qualifications of voters and
candidates, and measures to prevent voter fraud. The Institute could
also propose significant details about the structure and function of
the collective body (meeting procedures, committees and subcommittees,
recall procedures, term limits, electing chairs and vice chairs).
2) Before any public announcement is made about the establishment
of the unity framework, the organizing committee should contact the
leaders of influential Diaspora organizations to acquaint them with
the new initiative and welcome their suggestions and support.
3) The organizing committee should also brief government officials
in Armenia and Artsakh about the objectives of the planned
organization, and secure their tacit support without their actual
involvement. After the newly-elected body becomes functional, its
authorized representatives would interact with officials of both
Armenia and Artsakh on a regular basis. It is critical to maintain
the independence of the Diaspora-wide body, in order to shield
Armenian officials from pressure by foreign powers to influence the
decision-making of the new entity.
Once established, this transnational organization would create for
the first time a representative body in the Diaspora with political
and economic clout capable of promoting Armenian interests, preserving
cultural values and defending Armenian rights worldwide.
By Harut Sassounian Publisher, The California Courier