Dr. Arshavir Gundjian

Armenian Democratic Liberal Party Marks 103rd Anniversary Proud of Its Past, Concerned for the Future

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By Dr. Arshavir Gundjian, C.M.

On the broad panorama of the history of our national political life, the birth of the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (ADL or “Ramgavar”) on October 1, 1921, occupies a significant place. This month we mark its 103rd anniversary.

Starting with the crisis-filled years before 1921, when the very existence of the Armenian people was threatened by genocide, then the difficult years of the establishment of the Soviet system, major revolutions and world war, and finally the three decades of completely new challenges following the reestablishment of the independence of Armenia, the Armenian people, in their homeland as well as throughout a newly created global diaspora, lived and continues to live through exceptional challenges.

For any self-aware people, and especially for the Armenian people which found itself in such difficult conditions, the formation of political parties was a necessity. Under these circumstances, the ADL was born through the union of four already existing parties. It is noteworthy that one of those four was the Armenagan Party, which was created in 1885 in Van, as the first political party in Armenian history, so that the ADL in turn can be considered today to be the first and oldest continuously operating Armenian political party.

Role and Achievements

With justifiable pride based on demonstrated facts, we can note that from the very first day of its creation, the ADL has considered its highest goal to dedicate all of its organizational and publicity resources exclusively to the difficult work of pursuing and protecting the highest interests of the Armenian people and the Armenian homeland. It placed the pursuit of its own interests as an organization in a secondary position among its priorities.

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In its efforts to pursue the supreme interests of Armenians, it has consistently prioritized, to the greatest extent possible, the inculcation of a spirit of cooperation among the forces belonging to different political, philanthropic or intellectual forces already operating amidst our people.

Taking into account the extremely sensitive geopolitical position of our homeland at the intersection of major global interests, the ADL considered it a priority to adopt the political position that promises the best guarantee of physical survival for our country.

In addition to all these vital considerations, the ADL has regarded as its primary duty to stand as a guardian of the interests of the Armenian Apostolic Church and, therefore, as a defender of its head, the Holy Mother See of Echmiadzin.

Thanks to the abovementioned guiding principles, and especially thanks to its uncompromising and influential wide-ranging activity from its very creation to essentially the end of the 1990s, the ADL has been rightly regarded as the voice of conscience of the patriotic masses of the Armenian people throughout those seven decades.

Until today, the ADL continues to fulfill its mission following the same principles, especially thanks to its press.

It is thus, thanks to the extremely dexterous role played by the ADL, especially in the diaspora, that the diasporan Armenian masses, despite the often politically extremely difficult atmosphere created during the Soviet period, remained spiritually connected to Mother Armenia and thus, enthusiastically welcomed the independence of the latter. It is in large part due to its actions that in the 1940s and 1960s, the great immigration or repatriation movement was successful, as a result of which Armenia was able to maintain the conditions of autonomy as a republic in the Soviet Union. Finally, it is also largely owing to the leading role played by the ADL that the schism created in the Armenian Church through Antilias was curbed and the Mother See maintained its position of historical supremacy.

Concerns for the Future

While for the most part, the last set of issues mentioned have passed into history, the Armenian people now face new alarming challenges.

For completely different but equally serious reasons, the Armenian people must confront a problem of survival both within the borders of the homeland and in the Diaspora.

Once again, Armenians as a collectivity, while possessing various important philanthropic and spiritual structures, also have the need for the active presence of political parties that, as spelled out above, prioritize national supreme interests.

In a fair and realistic overview of the outlook for Armenians worldwide today, it is unfortunately difficult to find reasons for optimism.

In our homeland, which has enjoyed more than thirty years of independent statehood, a political party based on and consistently operating according to seriously defined political and social principles, has unfortunately simply not appeared until today. In a country with barely three million people, how can we view seriously the several dozens of assemblages that call themselves parties, sometimes with hardly a dozen members? To the credit of the ADL, it should be noted that over a century ago, it had the intellectual and political maturity and courage to unite four parties without even having the patronage of a state.

Until today, the people of Armenia have not been able to create a mature political understanding of sacrificing individual interests for the sake of the collective. From the days of independence, until today, the grouping that is in power generally bears some descriptive party name, but after losing power, when the possibility of individual gains disappears, the grouping thins out and practically disappears.

For a variety of altogether different reasons, the picture is not encouraging in the diaspora either. While the generation that survived the Genocide, with great sacrifices managed to maintain political-minded structures in some large regions where the widely dispersed Armenians lived, and transfer that spark to its succeeding generation, the generations that follow the latter understandably are quickly and increasingly absorbed by the concerns of overcoming the challenges faced in their immediate environments.

The ADL, one of the three traditional Armenian political parties which emerged in the late 19th century and continued its existence until the present, has for some time now lost its legitimate organizational structure. We hope that serious and conscious ADL leaders operating in different regions will make a special effort to come together and facilitate the restoration of a reliable and respectable leadership. Each of the other traditional parties has in its turn its own specific internal problems.

Fortunately, the ADL, with the greatest foresight, in its time gave birth to a sister organization, the Tekeyan Cultural Association, which has the mission of keeping the torch of Armenian culture, art and history high. In Armenia and the diaspora, Tekeyan, especially by means of the press it sponsors, fulfills an important role through efficient and effective activity.

In conclusion, at this stage, pan-Armenian national interests dictate that the diaspora, with the participation in particular of all of its organizations established on the basis of time-tested and durable traditions and principles, should create one or more clearly defined cooperative superstructures. These bodies need to have as their clear primary goals, on the one hand, the ensuring of the preservation of a well-founded Armenian identity in the diaspora, and on the other hand, the search for, and implementation of means to help the homeland be strong economically and diplomatically. We must hope, wish, and most importantly, believe, that such a practice of consolidating our forces will become contagious for the people and the leadership of our homeland as well.

The ADL, faithful to its record of over a century, will undoubtedly support every initiative proposed in this spirit with all its means.

(Dr. Arshavir Gundjian served in the past for many years as chairman of the ADL Central Committee.)

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