Profound changes are underway, random thoughts – 2/2 –

Monday, June 19, 2023

Vahe H. Apelian 

A few days ago, I posted a blog by the same title. In it I wrote that I believe we are in a state of profound change. While the world is changing and changing at a fast rate, the change I referred to obviously was about the Armenian world. Even though the change, maybe seismic and will have its epicenter in the Republic of Armenia but its reverberations and aftershocks will be felt by all of us. Global we are, but we are and remain connected.

In the same blog I wrote that: “It is obvious that the national emblem appears not be sacrosanct anymore. The PM even appeared to ridicule the depiction. But he was not the first to ridicule the coat-of-arms. I had read before, way back, when it was accepted as the third republic's coat-of-arms.” Let us be mindful that the change of the coat- of-arms was seismic for many in Armenia who had grown up in Soviet Armenia having its own coat-of-arms and its own hymn that were being changed as Armenia made its transition in 1991.

The PM cannot change the coat-of-arms, as he cannot make Gyumri the capital city of Armenia. Both are enshrined in the constitution. But when it comes to the coat-of-arms, the constitution provides the overall broad description of the coat-of-arms, the Americans call it the great seal. Let us face it. The coat-of-arms of the first republic and of the present republic abide by the dictates of the constitution, but they are far different from each other. Frankly speaking I do not like the design of the present coat-of-arms. It is not what the first Republic of Armenia had; the one that ARF held with reverence for 70 years on its letter head and when the Republic of Armenia adopted it, removed it from its letterhead because after having guarded it for 70 years, its right owner, the Republic of Armenia reclaimed it. But the two, as I noted earlier, do not convey the same spirit and are far different from each other although both comply by the constitutional guidelines. The present coat-of-arms is stale, it depicts a tamed lion and a domesticated eagle, and artistically is poorer when compared with the fist republic’s coat-of-arms.

Courtesy Garo Konyalian

“No, it is not Nikol Pachinyan who is changing Armenia”, I wrote and I believe that is the case, He is the most visible and the leader of an underlying base, an underlying trend, some of who even proposes to also change the hymn. Ridiculing the PM, chastising or denigrating a messenger will enflame emotions, but will not change a heart or a mind. On the contrary, it may solidify. It is not farfetched to speculate that the 2015 amended constitution may be amended in the future and proposals may be made for an altogether different coat-of-arms design or even for a different hymn. The change will not be by the will of the seating PM but may be led by him. But the change will come about at grass root and at the amended constitutional level. 

Consequently, instead of denigrating or disparaging, it’s high time for the person to make his or her case for the kind of change or not the change the person espouses and live with what may democratically come about.