THE LETTER THAT CIRCULATED A DAY BEFORE THE ELECTION To: Jean Philippe Tachdjian; Nina Ashekian Subject: From Noubar and Alidz Bostanian May 23, 2013 Ottawa To The Delegates of the St. Mesrob Church of Ottawa, We learned last night that without exception, all delegates across Canada have consulted their Parish Councils and members of their Parishes in good standing in order to vote according to the needs of their community. Unfortunately this did not happen in Ottawa. We for one and several informed members in good standing are against the renewal of Serpazan Bagrat Galsdanian because of his mismanagement of funds and dictatorial manner of managing the churches. Today, The Diocese in Montreal is $1.5 million in debt and the construction of the Church in Laval is in limbo for years to come. We urge you to use sound judgement and vote against his re-election. If he wins the election with few votes, the membership here as well as we would hold you personally responsible for the demise of the church. His re-election will divide the church here and elsewhere. Sadly in Ottawa, it may even open the door for the See of Antelias to take over our Church, just as they took over the management of the school thanks to the incompetence of the Cultural Association of Ottawa. Having said this, do not come later crying that they took over the Church because you have been warned ahead of time of the consequences of re-electing Bagrat Serpazan. Every vote counts, and the distribution of votes across Canada has been predicted except for Ottawa which is an enigma and it does not take a genius to figure out how you will have voted. If Bagrat Serpazan wins with a tiny margin, you will be blamed for the lack of vision as well as putting personal agendas over the welfare of the See of Echmiadzin for years to come. Finally, if questions are raised after the election, this letter will be brought to the attention of the members of this congregation as well as those in Montreal to show them that you had been warned of the consequences ahead of time. Sincerely, Noubar and Alidz Bostanian THIS WAS MR. Jean-Philippe Tachdjian reply to above letter Mr. Jean-Philippe Tachdjian, we admire delegates like you, million bravos and may god make your wishes come true, you are a true Christian. Thank you for your opinion Noubar & Alidz. I am sure that each of Ottawa’s delegates will consider your views and give them the weight they consider appropriate, under the circumstances. I would remind you however, that this is an election, not a referendum on Bagrat Serpazan. One does not vote for Serpazan or against him. The delegates need to choose from among three candidates. I have read the biographies of each candidate. Of course, we all know Bagrat Serpazan; we know his assets and his flaws. I cannot speak for anyone else but for myself, I reserve judgement on who I will vote for, until I have met the other two candidates face to face and asked them questions as to what their views are with regards to the challenges faced by small parishes like Ottawa. You can rant and rave all you want about the situation in Laval and the welfare of the See of Etchmiadzin. As the duly elected Chairperson of the Parish Council of Saint Mesrob Armenian Church of Ottawa, my outlook will be based on which of the three candidates is best for our parish. This is the first time I have ever heard of delegates holding consultations with members as to how to vote at the Diocesan Assembly. It is also very surprising that such a thing would happen considering that the delegates are elected by the members to vote on their behalf. Therefore, the authority of the membership is delegated to them. If the membership wishes to be consulted and to tell the delegates they elected on how to vote, then what is he point of electing delegates? I am certain that whoever told you this was misrepresenting the situation. Of course, I am ready to admit that I am wrong if it is proven otherwise. We will of course report to you and all of the members as to what happened at the Diocesan Assembly. Finally, I will end by saying I find your use of such a threatening tone to be very un-Christian. Considering that you are one of the founders of our parish, it is also disturbing and very disappointing. I had expected a more reasonable attitude from you, or at least a more measured tone. This type of threatening message often has the opposite effect to what the writer intended; it will push people away from your views, rather than encouraging them to share your views. Jean-Philippe Tachdjian PS Irrespective of what happens at the election, this response to your letter will brought to the attention of the members of this congregation. As for the members in Montreal, they are of absolutely no concern to me. I am a delegate of the Ottawa parish and responsible to the members of the Ottawa parish only. The fact that you keep mentioning Montreal seems to suggest that the Montreal parish is where your heart remains, really...
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:45:44 +0000
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