Members of the Orange County Armenian community gathered on Friday, March 11, for a public lecture delivered by Dr. Ara Khanjian on the topic of unfair government policies and economic inequalities in Armenia.

The event was organized by the Orange County “Ashod Yergat” AYF as part of an ongoing educational series on Armenian history and current affairs.

“Surprisingly little is actually known about the volatile economic practices of the current regime in Yerevan,” said Sebouh Meguerditchian, Chair of the Orange County AYF, pointing out the detrimental effects such policies are having on the poorest segment of Armenian society. “We hope that by holding such events, more people can become educated about these realities and be more proactive in seeking solutions.”

Khanjian, who is Professor of Economics at Ventura College and a specialist on Armenia’s economic policies, began his presentation by giving background on the extreme, free-market approach of successive governments in Armenia since independence.

He then focused his attention on the recent pension and tax reforms of the Sargsyan administration, arguing that the recent law on privatization of the pension system passed in parliament effectively diverts people’s retirement to the volatile whims of capital markets. In a society where the financial system is not developed and most people do not have a working knowledge of how to manage such investments, he predicted this shift will be beneficial for financial institutions and the wealthy elite, but harmful to the majority of citizens.

Armenia has also introduced a uniform tax code (virtually a flat tax) which is very unfair to the poor, Khanjian explained. The new law requires those at or below the poverty line to pay almost the same as those at the top. “In Armenia, if you earn 110 a month, you will get taxed 25 dollars,” he said, giving a practical example. “For families that only earn this much, the new tax rate will result in drastically less money for food and basic necessities.”

As to why this is taking place, he contended, “Instead of making the oligarchs and super-rich pay taxes, the government is forcing the lower classes to pay because they have no power.”

What is needed in Armenia, in Khanjian’s view, is a strong movement to protect workers’ rights and pass proper legislation in parliament. Only by coming together to protect their collective interests can citizens hope to reverse the erosion of their rights and improve their standard of living, he maintained.

The lecture was well-received by the audience and sparked a lively question and answer period.
For more information about future events as part of the Orange County AYF’s educational series, contact ashod.yergat@AYFwest.org.

Widespread demands increase for responsibility in celebrity endorsements

Los Angeles, CA – As Kobe Bryant prepares to celebrate his endorsement deal with Turkish Airlines at a Paramount Studios launch party, the Armenian Youth Federation calls on Kobe to recognize and understand the ramifications of becoming the face of the state-run airline and to take steps to correct this lapse in judgment.

The Republic of Turkey, which runs Turkish Airlines, has attempted to mollify international condemnation of its human rights record through thinly-veiled public relations ploys.  These gimmicks, which include abusing the reputation of athletes and stars and employing multi-million dollar political lobbyists, cannot hide Turkey’s contempt for the rights of its citizens and for its own history.

Turkey uses brutal violence against its Kurdish minority, whose demonstrations have been crushed time and time again.  Furthermore, Turkey continues to repress free speech and arrests journalists.  Just last year, the Turkish government offered refuge to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for charges of Genocide.  Most shameful is Turkey’s decades-long attempts to distort and deny the Armenian genocide.  A few months ago, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was the 2010 recipient of the Muammar Gaddafi prize for human rights, threatened to deport the remaining Armenians from Turkey.

Recently, celebrity entertainers including Beyoncé Knowles, Mariah Carey, 50 Cent, and others have come under public scrutiny for accepting large cash payouts for performing at lavish parties hosted by the family of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.  Following Gaddafi’s brutal crackdown on protesters, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,000 demonstrators, demands surfaced for music stars to admit to accepting money from the regime and for them to donate the same amount to charity.

Last week Nelly Furtado tweeted that she would be donating the one million dollars she received, and representatives for Beyoncé have released a statement declaring that all monies she accepted from the Gaddafi family were donated to Haitian earthquake relief efforts.

This highlights the increasing need for celebrities and public figures to be sensitive and act with the utmost prudence and responsibility when sponsoring or endorsing products and events.  The status of celebrity in today’s world goes far beyond dollar signs and necessitates accountability and understanding.

We are deeply saddened by Kobe Bryant’s dismissive attitude toward the concerns of thousands of his fans.  His silence has been deafening.

We believe that Mr. Bryant’s sole concern off the court is not just to make money; rather we hope that he recognizes his role in world as an ambassador of humanity, not of Turkish Airlines.

We ask Kobe Bryant to use this unique opportunity to act as a responsible and dignified public figure and to donate the proceeds from his deal with the state-run Turkish Airlines to genocide and human rights education and awareness programs such as The Genocide Education Project.