A holiday which is not always celebrated

27/11/2005 Tigran PASKEVICHYAN

November 27 is just three days away and that is the day of the constitutional amendments referendum. In three days, the clamor, which is called the preparation of the constitutional amendments referendum and has been heard during the past couple of months, will finally quiet down. In just three days we will not have an amended, but a new constitution. The National Assembly will turn July 5 to November 27 as a state holiday and include that in the law about state holidays. This will move one holiday of summer vacation to autumn; the students which have no right to vote and the small mass of people with stable jobs will benefit from this because this will give them a chance to not get up early in the morning.

As all our state and non-state holidays, this one will also not be celebrated. People will not give each other flowers as presents and they will not set tables with wine and other alcoholic drinks. The most they will do is go to the pizzerias and bistros to celebrate, just like they do every other day.

After two years, when they will start saving budget money, the president will organize a reception in one of the biggest halls in the city where he will invite the deputy and non-deputy members of the coalition and the political parties, artists well known by the state, members of organizations that unite people that have lost their Homeland, the youth and adolescents that will never say “no” to anything who will be warned beforehand to behave themselves at the table. In a word, the president will have the opportunity to see the servility of the republic.

The coalition and the political parties pertaining to the coalition will bow down to the president with the sense of responsibility in doing their job.

The members of the organizations that unite people that have lost their Homelands will put on smiles on their faces as if they have just found their Homelands. One of them, who has drunk some “Nairi” wine, will whisper in the president’s ear: “I don’t know about any power, but you have been and still are our king.” Of course, the president will not like the word “power”, but will not say anything since he is courteous.

The artists respected by the state will decide to give the voice to their average leader. The alder, in his Lori dialect and nervous tone, will tell how he had seen some happy people standing at the bus stop in the not too distant November 28, 2005. The president’s face will not change, but the artist will continue: “Mr. President, we don’t care what is written on that paper. We handed this country to you and we wait for you to make it better.” One of the artists will remind the other to talk about emigration.

A low voice will be heard from the far corner of the hall. Everyone will turn around to that corner and what do they see?… The drunk young people will make toasts and yell “Yesssss!!!!!!!!” The president will look for the chief bodyguard. The bodyguard will approach the young people and teach them a lesson; then the rector of the university will turn around and say to one of the Marz chiefs that the young people do not know how to behave themselves. The regional chief will laugh: “This is not bad. Let’s pray they don’t smoke and get high.” One of the representatives of some women’s NGO will join the conversation: “Mr. head of the Marz, do you remember when we wanted to do monitoring of drug addiction with the grant provided by the Rotshield Fund and you did not allow us?” “My dear, give us the money and we will take out all the hemps so that the youth can no longer smoke it. You can’t achieve anything by monitoring this or that.”

The head of the Marz will think for a minute that his “this or that” will be heard, he will turn around and see that the president’s bodyguard is making room for the president to pass by pushing the people present back. For many, the event will lose its meaning, But the presence of drinks and delicious food will forbid anyone from leaving early.

“Hey, wasn’t there anyone from the opposition,” a representative of the local government body will ask.

“No, bro, they are celebrating the revolution which took place near the Matenadaran, “says someone and laughs.

At the same time, there will be a meeting at the Matendaran there will not be too many people. The Arams and the Stepans will make their speeches without giving each other turns to speak. “If the meeting is not organized on Monday, November 28, 2005, then we will do it on the 29th, fellow compatriots. Since November 29 is the day when Armenia became part of the Soviet Union. The 30th of November is the end of November, so we will hold a meeting in the middle of December.

Albert Bazeyan, who looks at the referendum from a distance, will laugh a little and say: “The bad times came. What are you going to do now? There is no infrastructure.”