Georgia: Two Years after Rose Revolution

Moscow News ^ | 30 Nov 05 | Tamara Zurabishvili, Tinatin Zurabishvili

[jb6]

Georgian authorities are building fountains and sprucing up facades, yet they have not started essential projects. Meanwhile, less and less time is left to fulfill the obligations.

Georgia is marking the second anniversary of Rose Revolution on which the majority of the country's population pinned high hopes. Unfortunately, most of these hopes have not been fulfilled yet. As public disenchantment grows, the approval ratings of the government in general and President Mikhail Saakashvili in particular have been falling for a year now. Nor has the government scored any additional points from the recent high-profile dismissal of Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zurabishvili. But then Zurabishvili's own popularity strengthened considerably. Concerned by the declining approval ratings, the president gave the governors two weeks to draw up a list of public priorities. Government ministers received similar instructions: Now they are to answer telephone calls personally. The public and political analysts, however, are wondering about the presidential initiative: If everyone starts calling the ministers and the ministers start taking all these calls, when are they supposed to work?

Pensions Double, Prices Quadruple

Whenever he talks about living up to his pre-Revolution pledges, Mikhail Saakashvili cites pension increases. Indeed, pensions have doubled, to $15 a month. But does the president know that the pensioners' situation has not improved in real terms due to the growing prices for most consumer goods? It must be said, in fairness, that pension arrears have been wiped out, while pensions are now paid without delays or long lines.

The authorities also pride themselves on stable power, water and natural gas supplies. Indeed, the situation has stabilized in a number of regions, but not in all. While there are some improvements in urban areas, this does not apply to rural areas.

Police reform is considered to be one of the government's major success stories. Nonetheless, the crime situation in the country as a whole has worsened. Why? Because the overwhelming majority of personnel in "reformed" law enforcement agencies now are inexperienced rookies: To become real professionals, they have to work and work yet.

In the economic sphere, the recent amendments to the tax code have reduced the total number of taxes and cut some of them. Many businessmen see the prevailing tax environment as "favorable." The winemaking industry has now felt the positive effects of economic change as the 1998 law imposing wine production quotas has finally kicked in. This concerns primarily such internationally known brands as Khvanchkara and Kindzmarauli. Furthermore, the authorities have cracked down on bootleggers and counterfeiters. According to Zurab Ramazashvili, president of the Telavi Vinny Pogreb winemaking company board, the authorities "have now put their money where their mouths are."

Corruption has been Georgia's perennial scourge. Saakashvili once vowed to uproot it. Perhaps he has something to show for it: Visa and registration procedure has been simplified; traffic police have become apparently less corrupt, while the introduction of a unified state test to replace both high school finals and college entrance exams has ruled out bribery at university admissions offices. But overall, it is too early to celebrate the victory over corruption. The so-called latent, hidden corruption has proven a more tenacious adversary. It would be extremely naive to count on quick success in this battle because among other things, society itself is still tolerant toward corruption.

What else did Saakashvili promise? Oh yes, to restore the country's unity. It has apparently worked out with Adzharia, but not with Abkhazia or former South Ossetia, whose status remains murky. The return of refugees to Abkhazia is another big issue that is unlikely to be resolved in the foreseeable future. This, however, is already big-time politics.

Public Fountains in Place of Water Supplies

Under Saakashvili, Georgia has revised the long-standing populist principle Bread and Circuses! giving it a new twist: Bread (tables loaded with delicacies) is there for the rulers, while circuses (the more primitive, the better) are for the masses. Tbilisi especially stands out here. Every Sunday, Shota Rustaveli Avenue, the city's main drag, turns into a pedestrian mall. Given the capital's perennial traffic jams, this does little to relieve congestion. But the main problem is that it is not a holiday but just a semblance, an illusion of a holiday. Crowds of people roam the street aimlessly; There are a couple of attractions, a cafe, but not much else. If they are lucky enough, there is a free concert on Freedom Square in the evening.

The young president himself displays great enthusiasm, at-tending all manner of festivities and public events, tirelessly traveling throughout the country, unveiling public gardens, canteens for the homeless, schools, hospitals, and industrial enterprises. In many regions, local authorities now give a very high priority to building new public fountains. It is difficult to say why fountains have become so popular in Saakashvili's Georgia, but at times things verge on the absurd. For example, the public fountain in the town of Telavi is not only devoid of any architectural value, but there was water in it only once - the day it was unveiled. This is no laughing matter for the Telavi residents who have running water in their homes only three days a week - due to serious water supply problems. Incidentally, the decision to build the fountain was made without consulting the public.

Another priority for the new authorities is painting the facades in practically all Georgian cities and towns. Unfortunately, things do not go much beyond that: There is little underneath the pleasant facades. A considerable part of buildings in downtown Tbilisi that were affected by the 2003 earthquake have yet to be renovated.

Opposition Raises Profile

Reality leaves Mikhail Saakashvili and his team less and less time to fulfill their election promises. Without tangible changes for the better the ruling authorities will hardly be able to live up to their popular mandate, especially given that the opposition has sharply raised its profile. "The problem of the incumbent rulers is not only their vague and ineffective economic and social policy but also their cynical, disdainful attitude toward society, ordinary people, and the haughty, peremptory, and dictatorial ways of particular officials," says David Zurabishvili, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party parliamentary faction. "This attitude can be summed up in a simple formula: 'We do as we see fit."

David Zurabishvili cited the example of the Tbilisi mayor who decided to evict all children's clubs and hobby groups from the city's Young Pioneers Community Center and turn the entire building over to a ballet school, though for some reason he changed his mind."They do not ask anybody about what they should do. They just go ahead and do it", Zurabishvili said .

[jb6]

ping

[MarMema]

The monasteries and churches are thriving. I wonder what Sameba looks like now - I remember they were building huge fountains outside of it when I was there in May.

It takes time to rebuild a country. The Russians, of all people, should know this. A new police force is going to need time to pull it together. This writer is expecting a lot!

Georgia badly needs a humane society or animal control program, though I understand the Germans are helping by sending in vets to sterilize the strays.

[jb6]

I wonder what Sameba looks like now

Just don't forget the fact that that cathedral is built upon the literal bones of Armenian Orthodox Christians by the Georgian Orthodox Church that simply bulldozed a 500 year old cemetery, churning up the bones. What ever the results of this Cathedral, it was started by evil means and unholy desecration.

[jb6]

This writer is expecting a lot!

Considering there are many people picking through the trash along with those dogs for food, no he's not. Prices have risen sharply, just like in Ukraine and the average person is much worse off. Furthermore, the opposition Conservatives, New Conservatives and Republicans are all but shut out of the government.