David Hovhannes, the former member of the contest commission, remarks the adoption by the first reading of the draft “About RA national anthem” in this way.
– How do you remark the solution that “Mer Hayrenik” will stay valid till determining the text and music of anthem by law?”
– I remark it as “neither fish nor fowl” version. We are back where we started by the grounds which aren\’t determined by law. A thing which I predicted in summer when that so called commission began working very unsuccessfully. The people\’s indifference made me think that there was no public need to change the national anthem. The intellectuals were also unready to such a function, to select a new version of anthem, or to affirm the old one. And those amusing thoughts sounded from the camp of intellectuals proved that this question hadn\’t raped yet. The lack of demand had its demonstration in the NA. People were ignoring the deep importance of the question and trying to give their personal opinion. Anyway this version of the law is the lesser of evils. Let it remain as it is till the problem is ripened.
– You criticized the contest commission once more, while Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosian affirmed in the NA that commission had made very fair decision and added that the critic addressed to the commission were mercantile demonstrations.
– Hasmik Poghosian wasn\’t a decisive person in that commission. She was doing what the situation prompted her. Occasional solutions dictated by moods inside the commission and outside and the lack of wish to demonstrate the own opinion. But in reality the activities of that commission were dictated by the authority. The lack of results proves the fruitless activities of the commission. The government refused the result of the commission\’s activities and decided to remain the anthem the same. The activities of the commission were considered very unsuccessful, which is the rightist remark than this is. In this case the Minister\’s self-appraisal solves nothing. It\’s simply the way to save the own face in the bad game.