The Decision-Making Machine
HAKOB BADALYAN
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/comments26338.html
Published: 10:55:34 - 28/05/2012
The Public Television of Armenia aired on May 26 the final of
Eurovision Song Contest held in Baku. As we know, Armenia was obliged
to broadcast the show and to pay the fine for nto participating in the
contest.
The contest caused controversies about Baku. On the one hand, Aliyev
tried to show off the blossom of his Khanate. On the other hand, BBC
and other European and international NGOs disclosed the brutality and
misery of the Khanate.
The Armenian Public TV actively covered the revelations by its
European partners but the European Union of Broadcasters forced us to
show the fiesta organized by Aliyev. The Public TV showed it, and the
nationalists kept silent. Those who are ready to fight any
`anti-national' phenomena and qualify any suggestion regarding
freedom, human rights and the rule of law in Armenia as `pouring grist
to the enemy's mill', did not utter a single word.
Discussions whether to go or not to go to Baku lasted rather long in
Armenia, which seemed to be unnecessary because it was not an economic
or political meeting, but a party at a European level and affiliation
to it could not fit at least the moral framework since Azerbaijan
still keeps and tortures Armenian hostages.
It would be something different if the Armenian singer went to Baku
and instead of singing spoke from the stage about the Azerbaijani
threats, soldiers killed by Azeri snipers, attacks, kidnapping and
torturing of peaceful people from the border villages.
But this option was not discussed in Armenia. Meanwhile, Armenia had
to refuse participation right on the day when it became known that
Azerbaijan would host the contest, bringing a number of grounded
reasons and showing Europe that it was wrong to hold a peaceful song
contest in a country which continues to kill the citizens of its
neighboring countries and promotes it at the state level.
Instead, Armenia was forced to broadcast the contest to avoid
sanctions by the European partners. This is not a big problem but the
question is who will pay the European fine. Are the taxpayers going to
pay for the inadequate behavior of the Armenian Public TV?
The bigger problem is the inadequacy of Armenia. This issue was
certainly a matter of a high-level decision, and the cause of this
problem is a higher-level inadequacy rather than the inadequacy of the
Public TV.
Moreover, even the decision to participate could have been more
adequate than the long hesitation, the inability of Armenia to assume
a dignified position and being obliged to advertise Baku through
Eurovision.
The inadequacy is the biggest worry because the decision to go or not
to go to Baku was not the most difficult one. Meanwhile the story of
Eurovision revealed the status of the decision-making machine in
Armenia.
HAKOB BADALYAN
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/comments26338.html
Published: 10:55:34 - 28/05/2012
The Public Television of Armenia aired on May 26 the final of
Eurovision Song Contest held in Baku. As we know, Armenia was obliged
to broadcast the show and to pay the fine for nto participating in the
contest.
The contest caused controversies about Baku. On the one hand, Aliyev
tried to show off the blossom of his Khanate. On the other hand, BBC
and other European and international NGOs disclosed the brutality and
misery of the Khanate.
The Armenian Public TV actively covered the revelations by its
European partners but the European Union of Broadcasters forced us to
show the fiesta organized by Aliyev. The Public TV showed it, and the
nationalists kept silent. Those who are ready to fight any
`anti-national' phenomena and qualify any suggestion regarding
freedom, human rights and the rule of law in Armenia as `pouring grist
to the enemy's mill', did not utter a single word.
Discussions whether to go or not to go to Baku lasted rather long in
Armenia, which seemed to be unnecessary because it was not an economic
or political meeting, but a party at a European level and affiliation
to it could not fit at least the moral framework since Azerbaijan
still keeps and tortures Armenian hostages.
It would be something different if the Armenian singer went to Baku
and instead of singing spoke from the stage about the Azerbaijani
threats, soldiers killed by Azeri snipers, attacks, kidnapping and
torturing of peaceful people from the border villages.
But this option was not discussed in Armenia. Meanwhile, Armenia had
to refuse participation right on the day when it became known that
Azerbaijan would host the contest, bringing a number of grounded
reasons and showing Europe that it was wrong to hold a peaceful song
contest in a country which continues to kill the citizens of its
neighboring countries and promotes it at the state level.
Instead, Armenia was forced to broadcast the contest to avoid
sanctions by the European partners. This is not a big problem but the
question is who will pay the European fine. Are the taxpayers going to
pay for the inadequate behavior of the Armenian Public TV?
The bigger problem is the inadequacy of Armenia. This issue was
certainly a matter of a high-level decision, and the cause of this
problem is a higher-level inadequacy rather than the inadequacy of the
Public TV.
Moreover, even the decision to participate could have been more
adequate than the long hesitation, the inability of Armenia to assume
a dignified position and being obliged to advertise Baku through
Eurovision.
The inadequacy is the biggest worry because the decision to go or not
to go to Baku was not the most difficult one. Meanwhile the story of
Eurovision revealed the status of the decision-making machine in
Armenia.