12.11.2008
(Concluding speech of ALP Chairman Prof. Dr. Lala Shevket at the meeting with intelligentsia, published November 8, 1996 in the Liberal Press Nespaper)
"I prefer to castigate my Motherland,
I prefer to afflict her,
I prefer to humiliate her,
lest I DECEIVE HER!"
CHAADAYEV
'Intellectual' (enlightener) is the concept comprising the most significant and powerful values. 'Intellectual' is a summit of moral maturity and spiritual perfection. We have no right to call ourselves 'intellectuals' - whether we are true 'intellectuals' or not is for the people and history to judge.To be an 'intellectual' is a heavy, but honourable burden. Neither Uzeyir Hajibeyli, nor Huseyn Cavid, nor their enlightened contemporaries called themselves 'intellectuals'. The people and history have awarded them with this high and honorary title. Not everyone can reach the top of this high recognition.
An 'intellectual' is a carrier of high intelligence, morals, true culture, spirituality, independence, civil valour and patriotism.
To be educated, to be a scientist, to be a professional does not yet mean to be an 'intellectual'.
The most valuable capital of any country, any people and any nation always were and forever will be their spirituality, morals and culture. It is very important for each person to possess one's own internal, moral censorship, otherwise freedom can turn to be freedom of immorality and inspirituality. And it is always connected with education, with the social environment and the ideals on which generations are nurtured. Here again the greatest role is played by intelligentsia.
Intelligentsia always had its own system of coordinates, its own scale of moral values and its own internal spiritual core, where concepts of honour, dignity and civicism provide the basis.
Today some of our professors and even academicians, high-ranking officials have no right to be called 'intellectuals', because they are the people of mercantile, money-grubbing, narrow-minded psychology.
'INTELLECTUAL' and REGIONALISM, even more exact parochialness are opposite concepts. Regionalism is a relict of cave logic, display of a primitive formation. This defective property not only separates people, but also dismembers the nation.
Nowadays some political parties are founded on the basis of regionalism. Such parties in no way can be considered serious political force, and so they cannot become mature political structures, and their leaders influential political figures. Politicians with thinking of village headmen ('kandhuda') can never become statesmen. 'Intellectual' and CORRUPTION, 'intellectual' and BRIBERY are incompatible concepts. Meanwhile corruption today has almost become state ideology. Even businessmen from abroad openly declare, that our state officials demand bribes as a preliminary condition. Corrupted state official is the most dangerous thief, for he has a direct access to the riches of the country; he steals from the people.
Woe is the country, where the majority of its officials are corrupted.
Nation in such a country is always doomed to need and deprivations. There, where larceny, greediness, regionalism, hypocrisy, lie are, an 'intellectual' is out of the question.
True 'intellectuals' never renounced their conscience, honour and dignity ...
Sufferings and pain of the people has always made life of the true intelligentsia, for it has been the spokesman of this pain. Near to half a million of true 'intellectuals' of Azerbaijan have preferred to be executed by the oppressive communist regime being subjected to repression, rather than renounce their conscience, their ideals and their dignity.
The communist regime has created a new, decorative layer of pseudo-intellectuals. It has generated a category of scientists without morals, professionals without conscience, without spirituality. They were stand-by spokesmen of policies of the powers to be whatever degenerate it was. The most important was to applaud opportunely, to write panegyrics, to lie, to organize the so-called 'letters of intelligentsia'. Above conscience, morals, civicism for them there were laureate ranks, awards, anniversaries, scientific titles. They were lackeys of the potentates, and would with pleasure agree for the role of jesters on demand. For this reason the concept of 'intellectual' underwent steady devaluation.
Alas, this process continues today as well. Some of our so-called representatives of 'intelligentsia' vividly demonstrate to the people lessons of grovelling and subservience, reaching to the point of irrationality and farce, disseminate hypocrisy and immorality (more often the same people, the same voices, the same speeches, subjects of adoration change only).
Having joined the race of pompous anniversaries without an end, the country has been transformed into 'a land of celebrations'. Today I can tell with full responsibility that Azerbaijan wins the first place in the world for the number of anniversaries, birthdays, banquets and celebrations held at the state level in the last two years.
Meanwhile our fathers and grandfathers said: "To expose satiety if there are hungry is at least immoral. Where there is grief, it is inhuman to celebrate". ("Feasting during plague").
Our people has noble traditions, which passed from generation to generation over centuries. If grief and a loss occur in one family in a village, another family postpones a wedding. These are the unwritten laws of morals of our people. The succession of these traditions was unalterable; it was the natural law of the nation.
Azerbaijan today is plunged into a long-term war. The enemy occupies one fifth of Azerbaijani territory, where our shrines and the tombs of our ancestors are defiled. More than one million of our citizens huddle in tent camps without electricity, running water, face to face with winter cold and hunger. Azerbaijan has recently sacrificed more than 20 thousand of shahids. The mothers of shahids beg for the sake of daily bread. Young girls - our daughters and sisters are still hostages in the enemy's hands. 80 percent of Azerbaijani population are in need of bread and underfed. Under such conditions, in this Azerbaijan, can those who swirl uninterrupted in an unending circle of anniversaries, foreign tours, birthdays, banquets, concerts call themselves intellectuals, can they represent 'conscience of the nation' - intelligentsia?!
FOR SHAME!
The CULTURE of every nation, of every people has always and everywhere been personified by its thinkers, teachers, doctors, lawyers and scientists. The culture of every nation has been defined by its intellectual potential and its spirituality.
The consciousness of intelligentsia has been the indicator of national self-consciousness.
Today we have exchanged concept of culture for an entertaining genre of art that conducts the nation to degradation and spiritual apathy. For this reason today indifference, nihilism and unbelief have spread so widely in the society.
In such a situation it is very important and natural for the true intelligentsia to become involved in politics. Alas, so far we are not living in a country, where the life of citizens does not depend on politics. Today the life of each and every one of us closely depends on politics. None of us alone can help the people.
Today civil valour, political competence, wisdom and sound logic are required from the intelligentsia. Intellect must serve the nation. A true intellectual has no right to shut his eyes to the deformation and ugliness in the society. Otherwise that intellectual will lose his importance, while ignorance in the society will blossom and multiply.
It is ridiculous to live in poverty and need in a country, where there are all the real preconditions for prosperity, and it is a shame to live in prosperity and luxury next to such a massive level of poverty and misery.
These are the ultimate postulates of politics verified practically by the lessons of history.
Intelligentsia's involvement into the management of state affairs today is an increasingly significant issue for Azerbaijan. Rallying of the intelligentsia in such a difficult time for the MOTHERLAND is urgent and extremely necessary.
On a threshold of XXI century Azerbaijan aspires to define its place among the civilized nations. The CULTURE of the NATION plays an important role in achieving this. The culture is indissolubly connected with intelligentsia only.
Uncultured one cannot specify a way leading to culture. To show this way to the people, to the nation is the most sacred civic duty and the foremost task of the intelligentsia. Today there is a great need for that.
"ZIYA" means "light" in Azerbaijani.
"ZIYALI" is the intellectual who lights up a way to the people, the one who enlightens. Let us always remember this. Otherwise history and our descendants will not forgive us!