In 2001, the book Ruhnama (translated as Book of the Soul) was published, authored by the then-President of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov. “Turkmenbashi,” as he was known, called it the “moral constitution of Turkmenistan.” The book was mandatory reading in schools and universities, and candidates for positions in all institutions of the country were required to pass an exam based on Ruhnama. It was less a constitution and more akin to a Bible or Quran. (It’s worth noting that Turkmenbashi had a reserved attitude towards traditional religion, partly because he aspired to create his own religious teaching.)
Armenia, of course, is not Turkmenistan, never was, and never will be. But in terms of ambition and self-deification, the parallels are, I believe, appropriate.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan recently elevated one of his latest verses to the level of an almost state symbol by incorporating it into an official address on the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Cherishing one’s own ego and personal ambitions in such a manner is nothing short of disrespectful to the state (yes, the same state glorified in words). The Prime Minister’s address is not the place to showcase one’s “poetic talent” or subjective perceptions of statehood.
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Of course, everything is temporary. After the death of Turkmenbashi, his “masterpiece” gradually faded from state circulation. Similarly, Pashinyan’s poem will also be forgotten in time. But until then, it’s not out of the question that we might temporarily see the RA state coat of arms imagined by a “proud citizen”—perhaps even featuring a bowl of khashlama (the Armenian lamb stew so loved by the Prime Minister) placed on a bicycle.
Aram Abrahamyan
