The MEI Crisis

h a s g e n e r a t e d a c h a i n reaction

for transparency of rights – duties – responsibilities

( before and after the court hearings in Nicosia 20 - 21 December 2005 )

We members of the Pro Edvcatio international worldwide bring, via this communiqué, to your attention, issues relating to the chain reaction generated by the Melkonian Educational Institute (MEI) crisis caused by the Central Board of Directors (CBD) of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), especially by its decision made public on 16 March 2004 for the closing the unique international boarding high school, MEI on its entire estate in Nicosia, catering for the needs of Western Armenian communities of the world.

There has been pro and con analysis and much comments, sometime with passionate and rude language are published worldwide, relating to the aforementioned decision for the liquidation of the MEI . Those who agree with the proposed dismantlement of the MEI are still explaining that the AGBU is the most important institution in the world and its CBD is represents the pinnacle of management excellence.

In fact the 100 year old AGBU in its kind is indeed one of the most important and largest Armenian institution. Nobody has cast a doubt on this fact; neither the “political” opponents of AGBU, nor the worldwide groups opposing the liquidation of the MEI together with its real estate – as a matter of fact amongst these groups are many member-donators of the AGBU.

In relation to the CBD, it is worth noting that before being nominated an excellent manager, it is necessary to be a legal and legitimate professionally acceptable manager. Just like any other manager, the CBD of the AGBU has to prove its pertinency in the choice of project objectives ; its efficiency in the effective implementation of its tasks must be accompanied by the openness to scrutiny for its members and submitted to with the most transparent independent external in-depth audits.

These audits are not just the ones carried out by accountants. Their procedures do not fall into disuse with the passing time. Their components remain as universal parameters and do not fall into abeyance. Scrutiny could be performed not only by the juridical authorities but any person asking at any time for clarification concerning the activities of a CBD. The CBD members are personally, together with their own belongings and heirs, responsible for the activities under their management – regardless of the passing time after an operation. There is no possibility for this kind of responsibility lapsing with time. Those who are vested with an office are liable for a threefold onus. Namely: rights - duties - responsibilities. All of them to be practised in transparency. Transparency in the accounts, in legal and financial matters with regard to the pertinent projects / activities in general. Only under these circumstances the standards of management efficiency can be defined and the success or the failure can be measured consequently.

Moreover the CBD of the AGBU is dealing, and always has dealt, with funds due to public fund raising, donation and wills –e.g. Melkonian Will and Melkonian Brothers Fund. Therefore the CBD’s management has to be transparent and public.

In the case of the MEI, for example, the management is void of transparency. Nevertheless the CBD of the AGBU is not the only administrative body missing the transparency in the management. Could somebody claim transparency in the management of Calcutta Armenians matters in India, where the Authority of St Etchmiadzin is involved ?

The matter is not who is dealing with a subject of concern, but it is important how a matter is dealt with. Then the three fold onus of rights-duties-responsibilities becomes important. We claim that the AGBU does not belong to its CBD, whose members are accountable of their related activities; The Holy See of Saint Etchmiadzin does not belong to the Catholicos, but His Holiness is accountable of related activities; the same is valid for the Republic of Armenia, which does not belong to its President, but he is accountable of the country’s state of affairs. In Armenian worldwide Diaspora, which is not at all under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Armenia, there are many matters that lack transparency in management process; this lack of transparency has almost become a tradition. Moreover this situation has become the concern of the silent majority of Armenians worldwide Diaspora.

Thus the MEI crisis, fomented by the CBD of AGBU, came to release a chain reaction for transparency of rights, duties and responsibilities related to the persons/bodies dealing with public matters which are the concerns of Armenian communities within and outside of Armenia. While this chain reaction may have a slow pace at this stage, these events will not lapse by passing time with regard to legal codes. Transparency operation demands should undertaken progressively, as the judicial cases are undertaken to save the MEI educational and cultural mission on the entirety of its real estate. That is just a start.

In the meantime, the chain reaction for transparency should proceed without delay to the suspension of all kind of allowances directed to the Armenian bodies, such as AGBU, whose CBD is lacking management transparency – e.g for the case of the MEI. Without transparency in the management, the credibility and therefore the legitimacy of a CBD is brought into question.. A mystical veneration to persons or personalities may be undoubtedly amongst the rights of everybody. But this unquestioning trust cannot substitute lack of transparency of institutions’ management. This transparency may not be replaced even by the virtue of being a CBD member of a good old institution, such as AGBU; or being the spiritual chief of a church, such as His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians; The same applies for a President .

We henceforth will communicate progressively all information in relation with the aforementioned transparency through multimedia accessible to the greater public.

On behalf of Pro Edvcatio*

Dr. Renata Andréassian Psychologist (France), Tatiana Ferahian Member of EKATE (Cyprus), Sabine Haas Gamma Institutes Presidential Assistant.(Germany), Koharig Kevorkian Teacher in British School system, and multilingual Secretary for International business - retired (France), Dr Dalita Roger-Hacyan Professeur Agrégée of

English and Maître de conférences faculty member of Pantheon-Sorbonne University of Paris (France), John Arrowsmith Journalist – Textproducer BBC World Service (UK), Dr Edward Barsoumian Head of Molecular and Cellular Biology Dep. (Japan), Thierry Cornavin Legal adviser and Faculty member at the Law School Sorbonne–University of Paris(France), Xavier Coron Legal Adviser (France), Edward A. Fisher – Master’s in Economy, Philosophy and Languages, CTA of Gamma World Network, specialist for International Systems of Education (UK), Shahé Guebenlian Professor of International Journalism at London City University, also in Berlin and in Beijing, International Director of Reuters – retired (UK.), Bedros Hadjian Specialist of Armenian Culture and Language, Director of Western Armenian Schools (Argentina), Kevork Kevorkian Electronics & Telecommunication Engineer - retired (France), Dr. Art Maranci R&D Engineer - retired (USA), Dr Claude Armen Moutafian Faculty Member of Paris Universities, specialist of the Armenian International Relations’ History (France), Dr Garbis Meguerian Chemical Engineer at Amaco – retired (USA) Dr Nicholas Nicolaidis President of Gamma Institutes, Public Administration specialist for long term planning (Greece), Dr. Vartan Ozinian – Spokesman of Pro Edvcatio, President of Gamma Institutes World Network, Adviser to Multilateral International Organisations, Faculty Member of International Institutes for Civil Servants, and Faculty Member of Higher Education Establishments (amongst which INALCO/ National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilisations’ Studies & Research Section Responsible for Civilisations and Armenian Culture – Sorbonne / Universities of Paris, 1969-1978) (France), Nourhan Ouzounian Head Master of Mathematics & Physics Dep. of Beirut American College (Lb) and Canadian system of Education- High School in Montreal, and specialised in Armenian Cultural Matters - retired (Canada), Markar Sarafyan Specialist in Turkish Affairs BBC Foreign Service –retired (UK).

*The P R O E D V C A T I O is a Worldwide International F O R V M which deals with educational matters – taking into consideration social, economic and political dimensions of the cultural dynamics – together with geopolitical realities and related strategies for the development of human resources, respectful to legitimacy and legal conditions. The P R O E D V C A T I O ‘s G R T A S S E R E is a p a n e l – constituted by ad hoc Armenians of Diaspora and non-Armenians – which deals with Armenian educational issues.