Taking into consideration a number of statements made in recent days regarding the upcoming Parliamentary elections in Lebanon, the ADL Lebanon Regional Board announces the following.
1. The Armenian Democratic Liberal Party has always been an advocate of dialogue and has always respected the opinion of any Armenian, always striving to reach middle-ground solutions, with the sole aim of the supreme interest of the Armenian people.
2. The habit of discrediting an individual or organisation or of labelling people is foreign to every individual who believes in the Ramgavar ideology. The spread of this habit leads us to a dangerous level, far removed from the ideology of every Ramgavar liberal.
3. A logical electoral programme and the ability to implement that programme are the two factors that make or break a candidate. The entry of bribery into our society, especially since the 1990s, destroyed genuine elections and turned them into a process of buying people, instead of obtaining genuine votes based on the work one will do or has done and the results achieved. We saw the result in 2019, when Lebanon’s economy collapsed because of those bought votes, since there was no genuine accountability on the part of successive governments.
4. A deputy is ultimately a deputy of Lebanon, and he may also be elected with non-Armenian votes; being a son of the Armenian nation, he must make every effort to protect the rights of the Armenian community in this country operating under a communal system. Knowing Armenian is also necessary for every Armenian candidate, in order to be able to communicate closely with the sons of our nation.
5. Being Armenian is a feeling of national belonging. It is not a slogan. The Armenian is one who believes in the cultural heritage of the Armenian nation. The Armenian is one who believes in the Armenian cause. No Armenian person can label the other as “Armenian” or “non-Armenian”.
6. Armenian political organisations have done great work in making the community flourish after the Armenian Genocide. It is they who founded schools, churches, clubs, the press, cultural and sports unions. No one can deny this role.
7. Accountability must form the core of our political work. In an organisation or union where there is no accountability, that organisation will sooner or later take the path of collapse. People, party members and sympathisers will begin to leave that structure and will give their vote to positive forces that will try to take the place of those organisations. In recent years, unfortunately, we are witnessing this phenomenon in the Armenian community of Lebanon.
8. Constructive criticism and the presentation of alternatives must be the only style of speaking with one another. By raising our voices and attempting to place ourselves above the law, we cannot establish stable dialogue and succeed in solving the community’s problems.
9. In the case of the ADL Lebanon Regional Board, the word “schism” is currently being used. This word means outside the law or not respecting the law. When a group of party members, driven by their personal interests, do not accept the legitimacy of the Central Board, which is legally elected by a majority vote and composed of devoted and intellectual colleagues, we ask a question: who is the schismatic — those who follow legitimacy and think of the common interest, or those who protect their personal interests? In our party there is one form of change. Convince people with your programme to elect you. If you are elected, you will be accountable to those who elected you. Otherwise, you will accept the leadership elected by a majority vote and not attempt, driven by your personal accounts, to create division within the party.
10. The ADL Lebanon Regional Board is holding meetings with Lebanese and Armenian parties and candidates. The aim is to become acquainted with the programmes of the parliamentary election candidates and to take a positive decision, so that devoted and honest Lebanese-Armenian sons and citizens reach Parliament. The Board will announce the name of its preferred candidate in the near future.
11. May the election results be for the benefit of our community and of Lebanon, and not for the benefit of a faction or an individual. This must be our supreme goal.
Beirut, 13 March 2022
