Armenian National unity, harmony spirit was stabbed, and antagonism won another round
A friend of the Armenian Democratic Left, argued with me with several sentences that carried a repetitive pattern of the same arguments and logic, because I had interviewed a guest who lately decided to label as controversial and a negative figure in Armenia’s political spectrum”, the next four sentences carried nothing new to his original first sentence, on the fifth, I got bored, but did not want to express displease, I ended his repetition with a half humor, “see, I told you I will reach my target one day, and combine you in a joined approach with the supporters of the Armenian National Democratic Alliance, many supporters of this political party blamed me with the same intensity for hosting this gentleman.
Hosting this guest had a profound and special symbolic value for me, I considered that what made our relation special was the fact that he was considered a controversial figure for the political force that practically is considered the backbone of my political and blogging presence, they train me, who am I fooling, the backbone of my viewers are the supporters of the Armenian National Democratic Axis, this forcer has embraced and trained me, even so, hosting a guest who has a tense history with the NDA, meant that I am presenting a new sample, of breaking the taboos and the traditional, and trying to reach out, ignoring the political differences, not only between this guest and the Armenian National Movement, but my own, for while I agree with this guest totally on the foreign policies, as he declares a pro-western stance, just like I, his close relations with the current government, while my strong opposition to the rulers, has placed us in opposing sides regarding the internal policies.
Never the Less, I always insisted on maintaining this relations, with clear firm adoption of avoiding any attacks on this guest and the party that hen rules, I always isolated him and his party and excluded them from any criticism never mentioning their name in such criticism.
All throughout history and throughout the World, Being the guy in the middle and center is the hardest part, it is a challenge, being a “Hawk”, the ‘Extreme”, is always more popular and attractive, it gains you more popularity, to the supporter base you win consent, you please them, you are seen as loyal and genuine, being the guy in the middle might expose you, on your own environment, to doubt, being to some supporters regarded as fake, insincere, opportunist, unstable, uncertain, contradicting, sometimes even untrustworthy, while on the other side of who do not agree with you as someone insincere, full of deception, deceiving, cunning, maneuvering, hypocrite.
Despite taking all these factors into consideration, I was proud and felt satisfaction to have presented a new example, of someone who tries to maintain balance, being fair and objective, doing something outside the conventional of the political atmosphere and spectrum of the republic of Armenia, I, despite being a western Armenian who has only been here for 7 years, and for a lot of people inside the republic, they express reluctance and resentment, that someone who has lived outside the country for so many decades, a foreigner, an invader of local Armenian political field, who meddles in these matters, an outsider, a stranger.
The political atmosphere and environment in the republic is so polluted, this is the ugly truth, ever since I visited Armenian in 2011, I felt this huge gap between the former rulers and the people, social economic gap was and is still huge between a minority and an almost absent middle class, and the lower classes who are full of deprive.
But after the year 2018, when the velvet revolution led the Civil contract to power, the promises of “the era of harmony and Love” soon vanished with the division and classification that became dominant between the “White Messiahs”, and everyone else as “forces of the dark and the former days”, the adoption of demagogue, manipulation, and populist tactics created a wall of lack of tolerance, antagonism, absence of dialog, extremism, refusing any other opinion, ruined the National spirit and threatens the fabric of National unity, the national spirit has been destroyed
Even in Lebanon, and during the civil war, Lebanese, who waged a war to define the Lebanese identity, and even when the cannons spoke loud, and barricades separated the country between fighting groups, there were always channels of communication open, those channels so often defied the loud noise of cannons, and managed to find ways to silence them to the voice of reason.
When I came to Armenia, I always tought that I will never witness such a crisis of defining the national identity that was matter was determined and settled, I was coming to the Land of Armenians, the Great Armenian Republic of Armenia. I never assumed to witness a fundemantal divison of labelings, like the none we saw ion Lebanon, Some people declared they are Lebanese Pheonicians, Others Arabs, and so on, In Lebanon all declared patriotism against the enemy, but we never determined who is actually that enemy.
But what a shock, in Armenia, no one is playing this role, there are no channels of communication, there are only futile exchanges of blame and accusations, and any opinion that opposes the government, the verdict is passed: “You are talanchi, a Nakhkin, of the former old guard, guilty as charged, and no one cares to listen”
A few days ago, I received a very weird astinishing unexpected message from the very side, that I had paid such a high price to maintain friendly ties with, I believe I was always clear and sincere, transparent and obvious with my alliances and orientations, yet I had always saw to it that this channel remains open “All ties are broken with you, we cannot even be facebook friends, you are praising the National Democratic Alliance and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, as such, we can no longer associate”
But the actual question here is - why now - what has changed - I was never unclear about my political stance - did I never hide my close ties with the National Democratic Alliance - or did those ties ever become an obstacle - to establish positive and sincere relations with this side - based on mutual respect - or have they ever been the reason - for me to launch negative propaganda towards this side - have I failed to convey the points of view to all sides?
I was so disappointed, not based on personal ego, but because the National spirit of harmony that I believed we had preserved ties to push forward, that National spirit received a blow, Not I
Bedros Manoukian
Armenian Version can be found here
