Independence deprived of holiday halo

Independence Day is the main holiday for every self-respecting sovereign country, but in our country it has been ignored for eight years. Revising recent history, the ruling elite has tried to put the past, present, and even the future, into the Procrustean bed of the "dynasty biography" to meet the preferences of the Aliyev family. From time to time we observe the history of the country being subjected to one-sided revision: values, events, and dates become obliterated or revised, while new ones are imposed. Since Ilham Aliyev"s presidency, the main victim of this trend has been October 18 - Azerbaijan"s Independence Day. When Ilham Aliyev came to power he stated frankly that the event contained nothing "sacred" that deserved respect, as independence was presented simultaneously to all post-soviet republics.

The president has successively confirmed this attitude through his actions. He and the ruling elite have ignored October 18. Let"s turn to the facts:

* In 2003, the holiday sat in the shadow of the mass repression of opposition and protest which began on October 15, after presidential elections.

* In 2004, on the eve of the holiday, the president suddenly left for Moscow to attend the jubilee of his alma-mater, and as a result, the celebration of Independence Day was forgotten. At the time, this nonsense was explained by most as reflecting the inexperience of the young president, or the failure of his team to correctly plan his schedule.

* In 2005, in the context of parliamentary elections, the same thing happened: before the holiday a special punitive operation aimed at preventing some state coup began, and once again Independence Day was ignored, a hostage of some secret martial law.

* In 2006 it seemed that nothing would prevent observation of the 15th anniversary of independence: there were no planned visits or other force-major circumstances. But then on the eve of the holiday, the president suddenly left for Belarus.

* In 2007, on October 16, the president left for Teheran for a summit of littoral states, after which he went to Nakhchivan to participate in some grand openings; nobody remembered Independence Day.

* In 2008 Independence Day was shadowed by the October 15 presidential election that drew the attention of mass media and society. Such an uncomfortable "calendar neighborhood" aggravates the fate of Independence Day: every year on this day the powerful observe the anniversary of Ilham Aliyev"s election as a president.

* In 2009 nobody prepared for the semi-forgotten Independence Day, but according to some strange tradition, the president again made a trip on that day, this time to Switzerland.

Such an attitude toward our Independence Day has continued through 2010, and nobody is surprised over why the date has been deprived of its holiday halo. In the end of 2006, the Milli Mejlis amended the list of official holidays so that Independence Day, Constitution Day, and National Revival Day became normal working days. The Milli Mejlis "legalized" the negative attitude of the ruling elite toward Independence Day. It is surprising that dates have no direct relation to the history of the country (May 9), or June 15 imposed to the country, have the status of official holidays.

A question arises: why is the president indifferent to Independence Day, demonstrating such an attitude? There would be no problem with an ordinary man having such a negative attitude toward this important day in the modern history of the country. But, as president, Aliyev took an oath to Azerbaijan"s Constitution, a judicially-grounded and legal event, namely because of what happened October 18. By cultivating slight toward the date, the president in fact devaluates the legal basis of his presidency.

It is difficult to explain such an inimical attitude within the framework of the political logic expected of a normal sovereign state. Probably this apathy is due to the fact that the event occurred under the presidency of Ayaz Mutallibov and the activity of the Popular Front, which cannot be subjected to the favored "dynasty" narrative. Probably, nostalgic feelings toward the soviet past also provoke in the ruling elite a negative attitude toward Independence Day and its association with the disintegration of the USSR. Another reason may be the proximity of this date to presidential elections.

It seems that by such an attitude the ruling elite wants to disrespect the date and the cause of Azerbaijan"s statehood. But the president"s duty is to stimulate respect toward statehood, the revival of which has been fixed as October 18 -Independence Day.

Is there any country in the world where the president demonstrates such disrespect toward Independence Day? And not only the president. Does such strange behavior at the top remove the responsibility of the political and creative elite of the country? Why are political parties, public organizations, and creative unions so indifferent to this important date? Why do not mass media and the public react to this attitude? May it be that we have not gained independence?! Or have we lost it?

The president very often speaks of the necessity of strengthening the sovereignty of our country, and stresses his interest in uniting society; he always confirms his intentions by referring to his father, and states that he continues his course. Let"s remember Heydar Aliyev"s attitude toward the date. Though he tried to connect the holiday with his name, and probably did not like the commemoration, every year he postponed all his affairs (including visit) and marked the holiday on a state level: conferences, events held with foreign ambassadors at Gulistan Palace, street festivities, and fireworks. Even in the last year of his presidency, when he was seriously ill, he did not change this tradition. Thus, on October 17, 2002, an Independence Day ceremony was held at Gulistan Palace; and on October 18 Heydar Aliyev visited the Path of Martyrs, setting flowers on the graves of those who died for the country"s territorial integrity and independence.

Our "common national leader" gave his due to Independence Day, but after his son came to power the holiday was forgotten first on the state, then on the public, and then on the domestic level. Today Independence Day is not marked and most have lost interest in the date. Only heads of some foreign countries, following the ritual logic of normal political states, continue to congratulate the president and people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the semi-eliminated and semi-forgotten holiday.

18.10.2010