Budget of State Defense Has Increased into 442 Million Lari

Georgian Parliament has voted through the budget of the state defense which was increased into 442 million lari. Although the opposition does not vote for the budget, it could not prevent the parliament to enact the budget. The opposition demanded the transparency of the budget and wanted to be explained why defense needs such great funds. The answer was too simple-everything is transparent what must be public.

Discussion of the defense budget is a topic which causes fuss and controversy between majority and minority for many years. The majority did not insert the members of the opposition into the responsible group and it became the reason for the controversy. Another reason for the argument was unanswered questions.

As for the responsible group, it is set up of MPs and cooperates with law enforcement bodies. It aims to control all those issues which cause some misunderstandings and doubts. When the parliament was discussing the establishment of the responsible group cooperating with the Ministry of Defense, the opposition offered Davit Gamkrelidze, a leader of the “Rights”, to be their representative into the group. The majority turned down his candidature because they could not trust him. Thus, the parliamentary opposition remained beyond the group and consequently they have no access to the information about the defense issues.

Afterwards, the opposition started to speak about their doubts and reasons why the expenditure of the defense budget was inaccessible for them.  Kakha Kukava, representative of the Conservative Party, said in his conversation with the Human Rights Center, that “one of the reasons for hiding the information are secret purchases carried out by the Defense Ministry.”

Kakha Kukava: “”There are no documents to prove why the Ministry needs such a great sum. As far as we know, the fund is mostly apportioned on operations in Iraq.  Georgian government denies making the Defense Budget transparent. In the nearest future, military budget might become the topic of serious consideration because billions are spent on development of army from state budget and various foundations. However, very soon we might find out that the sum is not invested into the army. One of the proofs for our suspicions is the fact when Georgian army became a hostage of Kokoiti’s armed formations during the very first clash in the conflict zone. Army cannot be tested during the parade. In addition to that, we should remember the most expensive purchase from the Ukraine carried out by the Georgian Army when purchased equipments went wrong. We cannot get information about other purchases and I am sure the situation will not be better this time either.”

Majority MP Giga Bukia has similar complaints about the transparency of the budget. He doubts that those funds might be spent unreasonably. “The Defense Budget was increased in almost 400 million lari and there are no documents that can show the purposes of the expenditure. We are not against increasing the budget but we wonder what the money is spent on and how budget expenses are monitored. We are told that the principal part of the budget is secret. Unfortunately, the majority decided not to have the opposition member in the responsible group. Thus, the information is closed for society and in this case, the funds can be spent on anything as well as on 2008 parliamentary elections.”

Members of the Parliamentary Defense Committee from the parliamentary majority state that they cannot understand the complaints of the opposition. They claim that the part of the defense budget that can be publicly discussed, is public; however, what cannot be openly discussed is kept in secret. Davit Kezerashvili, the Defense Ministry, agrees with the majority MPs. “The budget will be spent on the defense and armed forces. Everything what must be transparent we make it public. I cannot understand the opposition’s complaints.”

Fikria Chikhradze speaks about the complaints of the oppositions. She said that the opposition wants the defense budget to be controlled and not to be spent unreasonably.

Fikria Chikhradze: “Although the Defense Budget was enacted by the parliament, we have not voted for it. We still face the same problem and the name of it is lack of transparency. Initial framework of the defense budget envisaged the increase in 444 million lari, but 2 million lari was transferred to Internal Ministry. Although we have been demanding the transparent budget for many years, we could not have our demands satisfied. When we discuss the transparency the majority reminds us that the question deals with the state defense and everything cannot be revealed. Every person who is better aware in the field considers that similar budget must be monitored, discussed and controlled. We do not demand to count how many bullets and military equipments are imported; though it si not secret either. We have signed and joined the contract on armament and we send this information to corresponding centers every year. If this information is transparent in other countries and for other countries, why has it become secret for Georgian society?”

Chikhradze, as a member of the Parliamentary Defense Committee, doubts that serious unreasonable expenditures are planned and the budget is not made transparent because of the reason. The MP recalls the fuss about the Ukrainian equipment like many other opposition members. More precisely, Georgia purchased several dozen of armored transporters which soon went wrong.

“I recalled the accident at the meeting of the defense committee. I said that if there had been more transparency in the situation, we could have avoided the problem. Consequently they started blaming each other; they could not understand which minister was in office when such an irresponsible contract was signed. At that time we discussed the loss of 150 million lari. Let us not discuss the purchase of bullets; we want to draw our attention to the construction of the flats that are going to be built for officers. If they do not tell us exactly how many flats they are going to build up and how much will it cost, how can we monitor the expenditure?” it is Chikhradze’s position.

“Human Rights Center” has got hold of the document which reveals that main strategic destinations of the Defense Ministry in 2007-2010. According to the document 955 370, 0 lari will be distributed on following fields: salaries of the employees-145 756, 7 lari (last year it allocated to 103 732, 2 lari); employment tax -30 354, 3 lari (last year it was 21 505, 9 lari); business trips- 47 573,4 (last year it was 27 196, 9 lari); other stuff and services- 282 145, 6 lari (last year it was 261 236, 5 lari); nutrition expenses 26 500, 6 lari (15 131, 8 lari); transfers – 10 875, 9 lari (last year it was 5 314, 3 lari); capital expenses 438 664, 1 lari ( last year 438 664, 1 lari).

The document contains no more information. The expenses of other part of the budget are not given in the document. One of the chapters of the document deals with the strategy which lists following goals: 1. improvement of the living conditions of the military servants and their families according to the location of service office; 2. raise in salaries of certain military servants; 3. improvement of medical service for military servants.

As for the upcoming results, the document states that “high qualified personnel is invited to the armed forces; military servant and his family will be socially protected that will raise the prestige and motivation of a militant; the youth will have desire to joint the army.”

As for other goals, the document states that the budget must be spent on improvement the potential of the armed forces; modernization and repairing of the weapon and equipment; improvement and modernization of the military infrastructure as well as on participation of international programs and missions.

Military expert, first Georgian Defense Attaché in America, Archil Tsintsadze: “Unfortunately not only those military servants who were trained by American forces, but also the personnel trained in NATO member countries abandon the military service and start civil activities. Similar drain of professional personnel will tell on development the armed forces badly. We must pay attention to the stuff we have already trained. Otherwise, the whole sum will be spent unreasonably. The increased budget will have no result if it is wasted. Youth must be challenged by the example of older officers. When they are not praised in the system, they cannot remain on their jobs. The young generation witnesses the negative situation in the system and consequently they will lose all kind of interest in it. It is easy to change the weapon but it takes at least ten years to train the officer.”

Eka Gulua