It was predicted in the NA yesterday that if the draft of law «About RA anthem» is adopted «Mer Hayreniq» will be produced just in that way.
According to Constitutional amendments, NA must determine the law about national anthem till December 5. But the process of the anthem\’s selection last so long that the parliamentarians had to hold a special sitting to discuss that issue without discussing it in the standing commission and not even correcting the mistakes and omissions in the text.
Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosian, producing this draft, made an interesting revelation. It became clear that «Mer Hayrenik» was attached in the first version of this draft but when it was put into circulation «different departments proposed not to select just that version but to try making selection.” The names of those departments weren’t detected but it became clear that only after that the contest commission for the anthem selection was formed in May.
Hasmik Poghosian said; “We don’t refuse ‘Mer Hayrenik but we didn’t make the best selection. There is no refusal position today. It is much more possible that we’ll have the same “Mer Hayrenik” in a year. But maybe we’ll have another anthem. I think it isn’t fair to refuse the possibility to have the best one.” The Minister tried to oppose the ARF and opposition attack in this way.
Hasmik Poghosian didn’t agree with the proposal to attach in the second article of the law that the RA national anthem is “Mer Hayrenik”. She thinks that it isn’t right to return to the null state after «fair» activities of the contest commission. «It seems «Mer Hayrenik» wasn\’t adopted at the first stage. That means there is a problem in the public and we can\’t ignore it.” The parliamentarians noted that the contest commission isn\’t the whole society yet.
The government only agreed to remove 1year limitation from transitional item, while the majority of parliamentarians think that there is no public demand to change «Mer Hayrenik».
The Minister of Culture, agreeing with the Prime Minister, refused ARF group\’s two proposals; to remove the transitional item and adopt that the RA national anthem is «Mer Hayrenik». NA vice chairman Vahan Hovhannisian declared that in case of refusing their proposals the group wouldn\’t be for the draft. ULP leader Gurgen Arsenian also declared that he was against the government\’s decision and would vote against that draft /He didn\’t want «Mer Hayrenik» to remain the anthem of Armenia for a year/. «Khachatrian is a world brand», – he said.
The Minister also said that she was producing the position of government. NA must vote and if the draft isn’t adopted Armenia will find itself in a constitutional deadlock and won’t have national anthem since December 5.