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Armenia Fund Has Turned Into A Presidentometer

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  • Armenia Fund Has Turned Into A Presidentometer

    ARMENIA FUND HAS TURNED INTO A PRESIDENTOMETER
    Hakob Badalyan

    Lragir.am
    13:26:25 - 01/12/2008

    Armenia All-Armenian Fund held its annual telethon during which,
    according to the official news release, 35 million dollars was
    raised. It was twice as much as the sum raised in the previous
    telethons, because the highest sum raised previously had been about
    15 million dollars. All the nation can do is to celebrate and take
    pride in such a growth, especially considering the global economic
    crisis. If there were not for the crisis, perhaps at least one hundred
    million dollars would be raised. On the other hand, probably the
    crisis is the reason why so much money was raised. The point is that
    perhaps the famous formula has worked which the Armenian government
    has been circulating recently. It is the formula of the capital
    which is bothered by the global crisis and is looking for a calm
    place. Apparently, the wealthy of other nationalities participated
    in the pan-Armenian telethon as well, who preferred sending their
    money into Armenia Fund, knowing that it will go to stable Armenia,
    far from crisis and trouble.

    This hypothesis may seem to many to be an unserious approach to the
    serious pan-Armenian event. However, the problem is that this serious
    pan-Armenian event is made unserious by those who are organizing
    it. Many may think that the content of the TV program is meant which
    is unchanged for many years.

    Som e details change, of course, such as the song and the video. For
    instance, one year the video is shot in front of North Avenue, the
    next year in front of the Erebuni Hotel, and the next will probably
    be shot in front of a newly-built elite apartment building, but the
    content of the telethon remains the same, with the same faces, the
    same emotional speeches, the same "Armenian design", which allows
    supposing that every year a lot of money is wasted on that program
    and on air tickets and several weeks of accommodation for the groups
    of officials, actors, hosts, showmen, since it is enough to show the
    video of the previous years. For instance, the video of the telethon
    could be shown for at least three years, and the money that would be
    saved could be donated for a program that the foundation carries out.

    Although I spoke for an entire paragraph, nevertheless the unserious
    approach of the organizers does not concern the content of the
    TV program.

    The problem is the approach towards the telethon as a phenomenon. The
    impression is that we are competing with ourselves to prove
    something. The telethons, the pan-Armenian donations have become
    something like a math quiz where only figures are important. It
    is important who donated the most, who gives little although could
    have donated more, what percentage of one's possessions one gives,
    and how much was raised in the end to announce another re cord. And
    the record should be presented as another merit of the government.

    For instance, under one president the Armenians raised this much,
    it means that president is the best. In other words, Armenia Fund
    has turned into an instrument for measuring the reputation of the
    president with money, a peculiar presidentometer. More exactly, they
    have turned it such, thinking that it affects the society. However,
    the real effect is that the society, the Armenian society, is gradually
    becoming disappointed with the pan-Armenian donations. Evidence to
    this is the sums donated by ordinary donators, which is shrinking year
    by year, and records are set through donations by millionaires. The
    2008 telethon is a classic example. 35 million dollars was raised. In
    fact, however, only 5 million is a pan-Armenian donation in the direct
    sense of the word, and the other 30 million had been pledged by the
    Armenian millionaires at a dinner with the president of Armenia a
    few days before.

    Certainly, the millionaires are also Armenians but the problem is
    that if 80 percent of the pan-Armenian donation is raised by a few
    Armenian millionaires, and only 10-20 percent has real pan-Armenian
    geography, serious doubts about the pan-Armenian nature of Armenia
    Fund occur. More exactly, those doubts occur among the Armenians
    worldwide, or may already have occurred, since the volume of donations
    is "sustained" by millionaires only. Why is it so? T his is a question
    which requires a serious study, a serious analysis of the activities
    of the foundation, reconsideration of approaches, unbiased summary of
    results. However, it is possible that nobody cares for this because
    the millionaires are important, with whom the government may always
    make arrangements, deals on money in return for something, and take
    care of propaganda. And the practical aspect will be what it will be.
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