Vartan O. mobilizing the English language

Vaհe H Apelian

 

I just read Vartan Oskanian’s commentary in Horizon Daily, the bilingual Armenian newspaper in Canada and I was reminded of the following famed sentence, "He mobilized the English language and sent it into battle.” However, for brevity, I did not title this blog post, claiming that Vartan Oskanian is mobilizing the English language against prime minister Nikol Pashinyan and sending it to the wrong audience, and in the wrong language. Vartan Oskanian is not addressing the citizens of Armenia in Armenia, in Armenian.

Let me sort and structure my thoughts.

The movie “Darkest Hour”, is a dramatized documentary about Winston Churchill assuming the post of the prime minister of the British Empire during the Second World War. Almost right after he assumed the post, France fell to Nazi Germany, and the British had their army cornered on the Dunkirk beach.  It was also feared that the Nazi Germany would invade England, Churchill’s island nation and there was talk in his war cabinet for seeking terms with Hitler. But Churchill refused and gave a speech in the parliament claiming that the British “shall fight them on the beaches” and expected that everyone in his government is willing to die “chocking on his own blood upon the ground”. Lord Halifax, in his war cabinet was for seeking terms with the Nazi Germany through Mussolini. After the speech he uttered that sentence. But that was in the film. In real life the sentence is attributed to famous American journalist Murrow speaking about Churchill.

 Coming to Vartan Oskanian; it should be noted that he has good, if not an excellent command of the English language and he uses it expertly attempting to mobilize the diaspora. I imagine, other than a handful citizens of Armenia, no other citizen in Armenia reads Latin Armenian Diaspora press. I remain puzzled. If Vartan Oskanian seeks to constitutionally topple the Nikol Pashinyan government, he should be addressing the citizens of Armenia and not Diaspora; and address them in Armenian and not in English.

I suggest Vartan clarify the political goals he tacitly wants to convey and have them in easily understood slogans. Such as:

First:  “կը մերժենք Ալմա Աթայի համաձայնագիրը», 

That is to say Vartan, on behalf of the opposition, rejects the Alma Ata agreement or protocol. On December 21, 1991, former USSR republics (excluding the Baltics) met in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and officially dissolved the Soviet Union and established the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) consisting the former Soviet Socialist Republics. Nikol Pashinyan’s cross road for peace is based on that initiative, which Vartan objects

Second: “Վերադարձ Դէպէ Ղարաբաղ»

That is to say Vartan Oskanian, on behalf of the opposition declares that returning of the Artsakh Armenians to the Nagorno-Karabagh will constitute the cornerstone of his foreign policy, in contrast to prime minsiter Nikol Pashinyan, who has ruled that Artsakh/Karabagh issue has been resolved and is no more relevant to his government's foreign policy.

I would have suggested Vartan other platforms as well, such as «Պիտի Պահենք Էջմածինը այնպէս Ինչպէս որ է», that is to say Vartan Oskanian will have Etchmiazin continue to function as it has. 

Last, but definitely not the least, if not the foremost.  Once in power, Vartan Oskanian will have those who acquired wealth, privileges, monopolies, such the electric grid of Armenia, keep their “hard earned” wealth, the crux of the matter, Vartan Oskanian is and has been advocating all along.