By Dr. Mkhitar Moradian PhD
I stopped reading Asbarez after the hostile take-over of the paper by a group of rogue individuals back in December 2020. But recently a friend asked me to read an article published in the paper supposedly about the ARF and its mission. While I was not surprised that the article was written AT middle school level, which has become the norm for Asbarez, I was astounded by the audacity of its author.
The article was a repetition of nothing but old stories criticizing the ARF’s performance in Armenia and glorifying the abysmal and appalling performance of the ARF in the Western US between 2010-2020, before the internal issues broke out in December of 2020. Well, let’s enlighten these folks on what the actual truth is and how critical thinking could be articulated into a fun to read article.
For starters, an opinion article should bear the opinions of the author and not just repeat what others have published before. In fact, this story looks awfully similar and is a different version of the criticisms initiated by most likely one source so the followers could repeat: a tired old story about how they are good, and the rest of the world is not, about what they perceive from ARF is right and the rest of the world is not, and finally about glorifying themselves and criticizing the rest of the world.
This elitist approach became the norm between 2010-2020 in the Western US region while the leadership of the time (THEY hereafter), who the author is so fond of, buried their head in the sand to ignore or deny the existence of gigantic problems in this region in the hopes they will eventually go away. For the lack of a better word, I would call the article a repetition of his leadership’s message without any analytical figure of merit.
Now let’s analyze what THEY actually did between 2010-2020 to not only weaken the ARF in the Western US, but to contribute to the current situation. These are examples of what happened so THEY could hang on to their chairs and positions in the organization and claim ownership forever.
- I’d like to begin with reminding everyone that the ARF is and has always been the people’s party but THEY didn’t want this, so THEY worked hard to exclude the people and to create a social club with a country club style leadership within the Western US region. In order to reach their goal, THEY created their own circle of mini-oligarchs to garner financial support for their exclusive club. As an example, one day I was approached by THEM (leadership) and was told that it was all right that I was not participating in the ARF related activities, as long as I was paying my dues and I was in good standing. Interestingly, when I inquired about the fund-raising events, that THEY organized by invitation only, to why only a select few were invited and the invitation was not extended to all the rank and files, THEY answered because this is a fund raising and only the wealthy should be invited. This was a clear violation of the ARF program the same program that the author thinks THEY reinforced. They not only did not follow the ARF by-laws and program but humiliated all the true ARF members by excluding them from their social country club “exclusive events”. Now the truth: the main purpose of creating this social country club was to concentrate the power in the hands of a few “leaders” so THEY can take over the region and stop serving the ARF ideology and focus on their financial and political dominance. By doing so THEY could extend their influence into all the sister organizations and by appointing their cronies in decision making positions, taking over the financial resources, and to offer jobs in sister organizations and in the school system to the members or their families who pledge allegiance to THEM. This kind of corruption should be compared to the level of all the Armenian governments who the author criticized extensively. Hypocrisy at its best.
- THEIR most treacherous deception was attempts to suppress the minds of the young intellectuals in the Western region. I was in the leadership of the Shant Student Association (SSA) for a few years where through the SSA and AYF members’ diligent work the ARF became a leader in the universities and the respective Armenian Student Associations (ASA). The ASA conventions were held at AYF Camp and a healthy and respectful relationship was developed between the ASAs, SSA, and the AYF. THEY perceived this excellent Hye Tad work by the ARF youth as accumulating too much power and the SSA and the AYF as a threat to their power. Thus, THEY quickly initiated different tactics to suppress or corrupt these young intellectuals. Some of these dirty tactics were:
- Removing the students from SSA while they were in graduate schools and were effectively leading the activities in their universities, to weaken the SSA
- Not allocating a budget to the SSA activities to create financial burdens
- Handpicking members, often meritless, for special internships without offering them to the general membership
- Suppressing constructive criticisms and improvement proposals from young intellectuals
This suppression continued until the SSA became dysfunctional and the fake attempts to
revive the SSA were unsuccessful. However, through the diligent work of the former SSA and AYF members the SSA was brough back to life just before THEIR hostile take-over of the organization in the Western US region and the assets. Since THEY were not able to stop the revival of the SSA, THEY scandalously decided to ignore the existence of the SSA in a meeting that they organized to elect their fake central committee. Another abhorrent praise, by the author, of a meeting that disregards the youth and the future leaders of the organization.
- By Initiating what I would like to call “jobs for vote” processes to assure the elections were in their favor, THEY sent their cronies to different regions to corrupt the clean minds of true ARF members, especially during elections. These outspoken individuals who were commissioned to repeat what was dictated to them in every meeting to convince the rank and file whatever the author included in his review/report in Asbarez. Unfortunately, some naïve members believed their fake propaganda and fell in their trap. Thus, THEY were able to put together a small minority to follow them and to create division in the ranks of the Western region in December 2020. Since they were not able to collect a convincing majority, THEY resorted to lawsuits to separate from the true ARF, by calling themselves a “California corporation”. This was the second attempt to weaken the ARF in the Western region by breaking the very oath they took to strengthen it. But THEY failed and failed abysmally.
- Creating hidden by-laws, not shared with the membership and not voted on, to keep their claim on the assets of the organization as a whole, the most undemocratic approach while “advocating democracy”, hypocrisy at its best. These hidden by-laws were designed to undermine the ARF by-laws. Thus, the organization ended up supposedly with two by-laws, perhaps for the first time in the ARF history, one the true ARF by-laws followed by all and one that THEY created to take over the Western US region. So, I am not sure what part of such treachery deserves praise by this author. You are masters of criticism and nothing else.
THEY planned and executed the abovementioned to keep not only their positions and chairs but their false sense of identity. Outside the ARF, most of THEM lose their identity and suffer an identity crisis. THEY tried to solve these crises by planning to stay in power forever, to take over the organization, and to use any means possible or available to change the Western US region so it belonged to them. THEY created their own groups, THEY excluded many, THEY suppressed the Youth, and THEY created their own corporation to preserve their false identity.
But I don’t wish to just criticize but offer solutions too.
THEY FAILED and failed abysmally, so THEY should take their shiny tales with tem and go create their own organization, THEY cannot be part of the true ARF. The true ARF belongs to the members who believe in the ARF ideology, who don’t think THEY are above the ARF, who don’t try to fabricate new by-laws to keep their power, who are in the organization to serve the Armenian people and not themselves or their financial interests, who have taken an oath to defend Armenia, Artsakh, and the Armenian people in the Diaspora, who have given their lives like the 55 martyrs of the 44 day war in 2020 and the many thousands before them, who avenged the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide and their descendants, who follow Rosdom, Kristapor, Zavarian, Tehlirian, Shirakian, Ashdjian, Serjik Tovmasian, Zeitlian, Aznavourian, Maroukhian, Sassounian, Lisbon 5, Bedo, Dooshman, and all the rest, and who have had and continue to faith in the mission of the ARF.
So, please stop and leave, you don’t belong here.
P.S. To Asbarez: Stop passing out the title of “Doctor” like candy. Intelligent people have worked hard to earn their real Doctoral degrees.
