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  • Sassounian: Conference Participants Support Elective Diaspora Leader

    SASSOUNIAN: CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS SUPPORT ELECTIVE DIASPORA LEADERSHIP
    By: Harut Sassounian

    Armenian Weekly
    Tue, Nov 23 2010

    After much anticipation and lengthy preparations, the Institute
    of Armenian Studies at the University of Southern California (USC)
    held on Nov. 20 a successful international symposium: ~SThe Armenian
    Diaspora: Elective Leadership and Worldwide Structure.~T The symposium
    was attended by 600 enthusiastic participants from throughout the
    United States, Canada, Russia, Australia, and Europe. The speakers
    were Dr. Z.S. Andrew Demirdjian, Cal State University, Long Beach,
    ~SThe Persuasive Power of Numbers: A Call for Political Clout~T;
    Dr. Archalus Tcheknavorian-Asenbauer, senior UN advisor, Vienna,
    ~SArmenian Unity and International Politics~T; Harut Sassounian,
    publisher, The California Courier, ~SProposal for a Popularly Elected
    Structure to Represent Diaspora Armenians~T; Dr. Gaidz Minassian,
    Foundation for Strategic Research, Paris, ~SToward a World Council
    of Armenians: Why, How, Who?~T; former Governor George Deukmejian,
    ~SPersonal Reflections of California~Rs First Armenian Governor~T;
    Honorable Grigor Hovhannissian, consul general of Armenia, Los Angeles,
    ~SWelcoming Remarks~T; former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans,
    ~SMaximizing Influence in a World of Nation-States: A Challenge for
    the Armenian Diaspora~T; journalist and author Mark Arax, Fresno,
    ~SThe Power of Speaking to the Media with One Collective Voice~T;
    Dr. Levon Marashlian, Glendale Community College, ~SThe Necessity
    and Difficulty of Establishing a Diaspora Congress~T; Dr. Stephan
    Astourian, University of California, Berkeley, ~SThe Traditional
    Armenian Parties and the Problem of Pan-Armenian Coordination~T; Dr. R.
    Hrair Dekmejian, USC and Dr. Nyree Derderian, Stanford University,
    ~SModels and Modalities of Creating a Trans-Diaspora Framework,~T
    followed by a roundtable discussion between the speakers and the
    audience.

    My own remarks were an expanded version of the article I wrote nine
    months ago, proposing the creation of a democratically elected
    structure that would represent all Armenians in the diaspora. I
    stated that a growing number of Armenians have realized that a
    collective effort is necessary if they are to survive as a dispersed
    ethnicity detached from the homeland. Beyond the need to preserve the
    diaspora~Rs vibrancy and cultural identity, Armenians share a common
    quest for justice from Turkey and a firm commitment for the security
    and economic prosperity of the twin Republics of Armenia and Artsakh.
    Armenians have finally concluded that they can benefit immensely from
    pooling their limited resources and jointly tackling common problems
    facing all diaspora communities.

    As outlined in my February article, I elaborated on the framework
    of establishing an elected body that would legitimately represent
    Armenians throughout the diaspora, except those in Armenia and Artsakh,
    who already reside in state structures with elected governments. Thus,
    for the first time in the diaspora~Rs history, Armenians would elect
    their own representatives or leaders on the basis of one-man, one vote.

    I also suggested that elections be held by Armenian communities to
    choose one representative for each group of 20,000 Armenians. The
    collective body of 350 representatives from all electoral districts
    throughout the diaspora would become the entity that can legitimately
    claim to speak in the name of all seven million Armenians outside of
    Armenia and Artsakh. Popular elections would encourage the silent
    majority to get involved in community affairs. This would be a
    dramatic shift from the current situation where a small number of
    individuals work around the clock sacrificing their time and effort,
    while most Armenians, who are unaffiliated with any organization,
    remain disengaged and disinterested. Should such grassroots elections
    succeed, large numbers of Armenians would feel empowered and energized,
    having actively participated in choosing their leaders.

    The academic symposium held on Nov. 20 is the first of many steps
    necessary before launching the ambitious initiative of creating a
    worldwide representative structure. A team of researchers should now
    explore and determine the optimum mechanisms to conduct such elections,
    estimate the demography of each community, establish qualifications
    for both voters and candidates, and recommend measures to prevent
    voter fraud.

    Conference participants were particularly interested in hearing
    Minassian~Rs presentation of a detailed plan unanimously approved
    by French-Armenian organizations to hold popular elections for a
    representative leadership early next year. The French experience could
    serve as a most valuable precedent for other diaspora communities.

    It was made clear at the conference that a single electoral plan
    cannot be applied uniformly to all Armenian communities. Since
    each community lives in a unique legal and political environment,
    it would be necessary to devise an appropriate plan for selecting
    representatives in each country, in consultations with local leaders.

    It was interesting to note that when Dekmejian asked the
    audience if they favored an elective diaspora structure,
    almost everyone raised their hands, indicating enthusiastic
    support for establishing a united diaspora leadership
    framework. The proceedings of the symposium can be viewed online at
    http://capture.usc.edu/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=555571291d934fcfb6650cb76ebe456d1d.




    From: A. Papazian
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