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Thursday, July 09 2009 - 07:12
Mr Yenovk Balikian's article in the 13 June 2009 of the weekly Massis ("Appeal" for Melkonian Educational Institute) appears to be yet another attempt to insult and discredit the Melkonian Alumni and Friends (MEI-AAF), without addressing key issues that remain unanswered by the AGBU Central Board, regarding the closure of the Melkonian Educational Institute. The MEI-AAF recently published an appeal and started a signature campaign to reopen the Melkonian Educational Institute (MEI) in Cyprus.
Apart from trumpeting the standard AGBU arguments for shutting down the MEI and glorifying its "infallible" leadership, the most common feature of Mr Balikian's article appears to be the insults it heaps on MEI alumni. In particular, it labels the alumni "noisemakers" and questions the wisdom of their six year campaign to stop the closure of the MEI and the sale of its land. The article attacks Melkoniantsi and their supporters and claims that they have hidden motives, which the writer claims are unimportant and self serving and that they are aimed at damaging the AGBU.
The servility and coarseness of the article aside, Mr Balikian and his handlers conveniently fail to address key issues related to the AGBU board decision to shut down MEI and to sell its remaining properties. Specifically;
1) The article fails to address how the AGBU misused and squandered the endowment that the founders of the MEI bequeathed it in trust to maintain the MEI and to support its students in perpetuity.
2) It fails to mention why the AGBU refuses to abide by the intent of the founders, who insisted that the MEI should remain intact even if the AGBU is dissolved.
3) It fails to point out that the MEI would not have been closed if its properties were not so valuable.
4) It fails to mention that the AGBU sold a substantial portion of the MEI properties the early 1980's with similar arguments only to land the school in the same financial mess by the 2000's.
5) It fails to mention that the director of the AGBU board lied to its constituents across the world when he gave assurances that "no decision has been made" about the closure of the MEI only weeks before announcing the decision to close.
6) It fails to mention that the said decision was taken with no consultation with AGBU constituents because the board knew it would be controversial.
7) It fails to mention that there has been no outpouring of public support for the AGBU's decision (as opposed to the support the "noisemakers" have received).
8) It fails to mention that the AGBU has not yet presented a credible plan for the "Melkonian Educational Center" it purportedly wishes to establish in Armenia.
9) It ignores the AGBU's failure to persuade the Diaspora Armenians and, particularly, the Armenian community of Cyprus to wisdom of its decision.
Having failed to persuade the Western Armenian public with positive discourse, the AGBU has--not surprisingly--resorted to mudslinging and name calling to intimidate the MEI alumni.
Melkoniantsi Blogger
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Information regarding the school
The school belongs to the AGBU. All information regarding the school should be inquired from the office of public records in Nicosia, Cyprus. If anybody needs any further information, please email us at admin@melkoniannews.org.
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INQUIRING
Hello, my name is Alik. i know i may not be right on topic, But i was wondering if anyone could help me find some information about school specifications, What building there are how much square meteres of land, and maybe floor plans of this institute. Because there are several Armenian people who wana get together and buy it to reopen the school but i need those specifications, if anyone could help me or direct me on the right path i would greatly appreciate it thank you.
Sicerely, Alik
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Yenovk Balikian's view
While praising AGBU's decision to close down M.E.I., none of Mr. Yenovk's given explanations are acceptable and convincing reasons to lead to the closure of this valuable school. It is a well known fact that the number of Armenians living outside Armenia is more than those living in the motherland. With some good positive vision, improvements and publicity, M.E.I. could have attracted a good number of Armenian students as a unique educational establishment serving mainly the Armenian diaspora. Despite the still unresolved, divided status of the island, the school's location in Cyprus - a member state of the EU- is considered very convenient. AGBU is not in Armenia and, to the best of my understanding, it has a more vital role to play in providing educational, social and cultural assistance to the Armenian communities in the diaspora than the Armenian people in Armenia! So it is an obvious deviation from its mission when it decided to use the proceeds of the sale of M.E.I. to build a center in Armenia! I think it is more important to think as to how to preserve what AGBU already has rather than think of the best ways of liquidating her assets to re-invest the proceeds in Armenia!
I am in favour of re-opening the Melkonian Educational Institute in Cyprus through a well planned, renewed vision which may both respect the will of its founders and place AGBU back on track of her nationally acclaimed mission.
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Melkonian
The way I see the decision to close the Melkonian has always been very simple. It is a matter of simple arithmetics and it goes like this. For the later year leadership of the AGBU specially after the collapse of the USSR and the independence of Armenia, it became obvious that the MEI was no longer churning out year after year a significant number of AGBU and Ramgavar cadres. The amount of money they were spending in the Melkonian could not warant for the political gains. They just calculated what all that expense was buying them and what could it buy if reinvested or redirected to Armenia. Obviously, that kind of money or in fact a lot less could buy so much more following and political clout in the newly formed Armenian political arena and among the empoverished and apoliticized population of the country. So they thought to hell with sentimentality, to hell with the Diaspora. Market values and market dynamics dictated that the shrewd move was to get rid of the MEI and 'honour' the Melkonian Brothers' legacy by building (cheaply) a few schools and clubs in Armenia.
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Yenovk's Argument
It's very unfortunate to come across people like Yenovk, disgrace themselves in a civilized Armenian community, trying to justify the failed leadership and unacceptable policy of Mr. Berj Setrakian. The blind followers of AGBU's current leadership, Yenovk, to name one of not so many, should give credit to the world wide Melkonian Alumni, led by Melkonian Alumni & Friends, for choosing the right path to stop AGBU and reopen Melkonian in Cyprus, and thus protect and preserve our Western Armenian Culture, Education and identity, at all cost.
Yes, it is very true that people come and go, but their actions should not be detrimental. They think they are doing the right thing, but when their actions prove to be false, we would be at a point of no return and it will be of no use to hold them accountable.
They, (AGBU) were planning and evaluating the status of Melkonian for 30 years. Thirty long years and they could not fix the problem. If Melkonian was "sick" for that long, I would have found the cure!
The Alumni was always there whenever there was a SOS call from the School Administration.
Mr. Setrakian has created a Gordian Knot. To untie it, he needs the sword of Alexander the Great.
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