I received today a statement from this apparently newly organised movement: Armenians For Civil Disobedience, which is directed more specifically to Armenian Diaspora and calls Diasporan Armenians to stop providing financial support to the ruling government of Armenia and instead directs them "to send same amount and more assistance to the Armenian people living in the villages and towns of Armenia"
ARMENIANS FOR CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE
“Government is best which governs least” Thomas Jefferson.
In 1849, Henry David Thoreau called for a Civil Disobedience in an essay arguing that people should not permit governments to overrule or atrophy their consciences, and that people have a duty to avoid allowing such acquiescense to enable the government to make them the agents of injustice.
The Armenian people have suffered enough violations of their civil rights since the beginning of the 20th Century, by either foreign rulers, or by their own governments and leaders up until 21 Century and continuing. The Armenian people have been either forcefully or by the policies of their governments left their lands and are presently living abroad, in every corner of the world.
The Armenian has fought throughout history for individual rights to live freely in Armenia with all civil rights being respected without much success because of the fear instigated in them by abusive forces.
Now, the time has come for the “Armenian” to live, experience and demonstrate “civil disobedience” meaning, “disobedience to the state” to achieve freedom of self from fear of the foreign forces and domestic governments.
However, civil disobedience of the Armenian is an individual decision to join the multitudes in a similar action to show the authorities that the power of statehood comes from those who do not wish to be enslaved and used as agents for injustice.
Free Armenians shall be united in spirit and consiousness in this most noble method of feeing themselves from their oppressors and shall change the fate imposed on them.
We call on you to follow the following rules of civil disobenience:
1. “Don’t just wait passively for an opportunity to vote for justice. Voting for justice is as ineffective as wishing for justice; what you need to do is to actually be just. This is not to say that you have an obligation to devote your life to fighting for justice, but you do have an obligation not to commit injustice and not to give injustice your practical support.”
2. When a government becomes destructive of basic human rights, it is the duty of the people to "alter or abolish it."
We call upon all Armenians all over the world to stop paying taxes, gratuities, and donations to all organizations, which direct that money to the ruling government in Armenia. Instead, we direct them to send same amount and more assistance to the Armenian people living in the villages and towns of Armenia.
No money and/or assistance should be directed to political parties, to the Armenia Fund, Org., the Armenian Assembly, the Armenian National Committee and to Armenian Republic and all other organizations you know, which are giving direct assistance to the Republic of Armenia.
We call upon all Armenians to peacefully live and show disobedience to the state authorities without fight, without profanity, curse, objection, retaliation or violence. Withdraw your participation, membership and contribution from all those organizations, and/or state institutions which exercise power and control over the free people of Armenia.
We call upon all Armenians to unite in creating a civil society whose’ consciousness shall decide and create their own way of life, society and country.
TO ALL ARMENIAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF THE WORLD START YOUR DUTY OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE TODAY! REACH OUT AND HELP OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN ARMENIA TO BE FREE. SOONER OR LATER ARMENIANS SHALL ACHIEVE FULL CIVIL RIGHTS THEY DESERVE. HOWEVER, IT WILL NOT BE ACHIEVED WITHOUT SACRIFICE AND WITHOUT CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE TRADITIONALLY AND HISTORICALLY KEPT ARMENIANS IN FEAR AND IN MENTAL SLAVERY!
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2 comments:
It is clear that you have not understood the difference between lobby groups and government agencies. The AAA and ANCA are grassroot organizations that fund mostly diaspora related projects. Although they might have representation in Armenia (Assembly), this doe not mean that they are a state or government run entity. AU CONTRAIRE, they receive funds to support the people directly (again, mostly in the Diaspora).
As for not giving to other orgs such as the ARS or AGBU et al, how do you propose the average Armenian in middle America or French suburbia send out that money if they have no clear mechanism.
Finally, When the government budget is not full from such contribution, what do you think happens? Unfortunatey, small and medium companies are targeted by the tax collectors and auditors to ask for higher bribes... yes, the people once again suffer... ad do you know what happens when you don't pay? well here are a few examples:
1- new zoning law may appear the following day that prevents you from carrying out your work
2- an accident (fire, burglury, murder, vandalism) may take place, without ever finding out who was the culprit
3- if restaurant: kitchen could be labeled as non-respectful of hygiene norms and shop shut down...
I am not saying that you are wrong by creating a counter movement, but simply, one must assess the scope of ones actions in full.
just some thoughts.
Just to clarify - Although I share some ideas expressed there, I am not an organiser of this movement. I only provided space for them to publish their call in my blog. Hope your thoughts would be useful to them, especially re creating an alternative mechanisms.
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