MEMORY BEGETS RIGHT

The election slogan of the Republican Party as always describes precisely the state Armenia is in. In 1988 Charles Aznavour wrote the song “Pour Toi, Armenie” (“For You, Armenia”). It was dedicated to Armenia after the devastating earthquake, and it was a move meant to use the force of music to help Armenia. In other words, this song was help, in fact, and the slogan “For You, Armenia” became a synonym of rescue, a kind of SOS. It is clear why the Republican Party has chosen this slogan for the election of 2007. Presently, Armenia needs help much more badly than in 1988 because at that time only the north of Armenia was ruined, whereas now only the center shows signs of life. Moreover, not the center of the country but the center of Yerevan. Virtually, the political party which is worried about the country in this state should take up either the slogan “Help!” or SOS. However, since “help” is appropriate for the Bargavach Hayastan Party, while SOS is associated with the “ancient” period of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun, ‘for you, Armenia” is the best for the case, especially that Aznavour will hardly claim for his copyright, at least because he is now on a concert tour and in the countries where he visits there are no ads of the Republican Party, and Serge Sargsyan does not appear on TV either as prime minister or the chair of the council of the Republican Party.
On the other hand, however, the problem copyright would not worry the Republican Party much, even if it occurred. It is a matter of law and rights, and the law and rights are not found on the menu of the Republican Party. It is not only the famous interview of Serge Sargsyan with a famous newspaper in which he set the rights inferior to employment. Even if there were no interview, it is obvious that law is not primary for the Republican Party. The menu of the party is available on street ads in Yerevan. For you, Armenia, the Republican Party offers jobs, developing villages, competitive science, high pensions. And no word about equality before the law, protection of rights. As if no one in Armenia ignores the law, as if the Republican government officials live like sheiks on their legal salary, as if the ordinary citizens were evicted legally and not by an unconstitutional decision of the government. In other words, for the Republican Party the law is not a problem, consequently it is not found in the visions of the party. We only need to find out whether the party has convinced Serge Sargsyan that the law is the last thing to think about when there is nothing left to do, or Serge Sargsyan assured the party that the law is excess luxury because if the law is honored, most Republican may appear anywhere else except in parliament.
Consequently, for Aznavour it would be a waste of time to sue the Republican Party for his copyright, even though Robert Kocharyan is a close friend of Aznavour and would not have our independent judicial system hurt the ambassador of Armenia to the world, more exactly the ambassador of the Armenian people, nevertheless, if the Republican Party and its leader do not care for the rights of people, they will not care for the rights of the ambassador of these people.
Lawfulness has never been the virtue of kings. Rightfulness was considered as a virtue, i.e. being full of right and not law. And in this case, the Republican Party’s right will be more forceful than Aznavour’s right. For instance, what will Aznavour say in answer if someone from the Republican Party says: “We are a handful of Armenians, why do you separate your right from my right?” However, all this is highly hypothetical because Charles Aznavour will not stop his concert tour for an innocent slogan and attend to the history of an old song. Especially that he knows the Republican Party does everything for the sake of the nation. After all, recently he also has been doing everything for the nation. He holds a concert for the nation, raises money for the nation, embellishes the company of Robert Kocharyan during different events for the nation.
However, the example of the song and the slogan is part of the evidence to how “national thinking” may prevail over legal consciousness. The parliament majority could have given the answer that they could have given to Charles Aznavour to any citizen of Armenia who would dare speak about rights. However, the citizens have a way out. They can answer with a similar logic: “We are a handful of Armenians, so why do you separate your position from mine,” and ask politely a high-ranking Republican government official to quit his jobs, or part of his jobs. If the Republican leaders are worried about unemployment, they do not have the right to occupy more than one post when there are so many unemployed people in the country. Thus, the right does not contradict to employment declared as a priority but becomes an important milestone on the track for tackling unemployment. And if the government says they have the right to occupy as many posts they want and they can, the society will retort: “Aren’t we a handful of Armenians? So why do you separate your right from my right?”
JAMES HAKOBYAN

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Headlines for April 25, 2007

MEMORY BEGETS RIGHT
JAMES HAKOBYAN
The election slogan of the Republican Party as always describes precisely the state Armenia is in. In 1988 Charles Aznavour wrote the song “Pour Toi, Armenie” (“For You, Armenia”). It was dedicated to ...
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