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Fight for Positions and Neglected People

January 23, 2008

Regional governors of Georgia will be changed in the nearest future. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili announced about up-coming changes several days ago. Nino Burjanadze, the Chairwoman of the Georgian Parliament, stated that local authorities will also be amended.

The Government started to think about staff changes after the Snap Presidential Elections.

“The aim of the changes is to keep the authority full of new energy because the country has new challenges and goals. During next five years Georgia should have efficient and comprehensive government,” stated the Georgian President.

“Local authority must certainly be amended too. The elections of January 5 exposed that we have serious problems about district and regional governors,’ stated the chairwoman of the parliament.
Public officials noted about supposed amendments before the elections too. Levan Bezhashvili, the chairperson of the Legal Committee of the Parliament, who ran pre-election campaign of Mikheil Saakashvili in Kakheti Region, openly stated he observed lack of communication between the local authority and the society. “I could not see any district or village governor who was meeting people,” said Bezhashvili.

He added that population in several districts did not know their governors; or maybe they knew but governor could not resolve their problems.

“I know that our district has a governor; I know who he is but it does not change anything. Last year the natural disaster damaged my house. Relatives suggested me to apply to the district governor for help; they could calculate my damage and assist me somehow. I visited the Administrative Board everyday during three weeks but I could not meet the governor. The secretary used to answer me he was not in the office and I could meet him next day; or he was in Tbilisi, etc. Finally I got tired; I could not spend money on useless trips and gave up visiting the administrative board. We still live in unbearable conditions; we cover our beds with cellophane to protect ourselves from the rain leaking into the house. The walls are cracked; I cannot warm the house. The village governor has information about my problems but nobody has ever paid attention to me,” complained Ketevan Berukashvili, a resident of the village of Chumlaki in Gurjaani district.

Vera Terteshnikova also has some complaints about the local authority. “Our residential building was completely burnt down in 2004. Eleven families lived in the two-storied building and now we are homeless. Minor repair-works were carried out in the building but it is still impossible to live in. It has neither door, nor window; the building was robbed until repair-works finished inside. We were told several times that 120 thousand lari was apportioned from the state budge for the rehabilitation of the building; certain people had also donated to us; so officials promised they would do everything for us. Now we cannot understand where so much money has disappeared. We held protest demonstrations several days before the election but policemen dispersed us. We urged the district and regional governors for help but they did not reply to us,” said Vera Terteshnikova.

It is noteworthy that governors do not pay attention to several issues and violations. The letters sent to the regional governor are sent back to district governor for further discussion.

“I worked for the office subordinated to the Kvareli District Administrative Board; I was sacked according to the governor’s wish illegally. I petitioned to the Kakheti regional governor. The Regional Administrative Board sent the letter back to the Kvareli District Administration. In my letter I complained about the concrete violations of the district governor and several other high ranking officials. So these people got more annoyed about me; I am seriously harassed by them since that time,” said Tamar Sefiashvili.

According to the spread information the personnel changes will take place in Kakheti region too. The regional Governor, Gia Natsvlishvili will be resigned and several candidatures are discussed on his position; they are Baadur Guliashvili, Kakheti region deputy governor, Zaza Begashvili, current chairperson of the Tbilisi Municipality Board and Gocha Mamatsashvili, the Deputy Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources. All of them are members of the United National Movement. Baadur Guliashvili was appointed as a deputy regional governor recently. Before that he was the head of the Telavi Department of the Interior Ministry. Guliashvili does not make comments about his supposed appointment as a regional governor. Gocha Mamatsashvili former Telavi Municipality Governor categorically denies the possibility of his replacing the regional governor. It is noteworthy that Mamatsashvili resigned from his position of the Municipality Governor after president Saakashvili made a famous statement; he publicly criticized high ranking officials who drove luxurious cars; Mamatsashvili’s name was connected with unreasonable expenses of the funds from the Telavi Regional Budget. As for Zaza Begashvili, he comes from Kakheti region. He reminded people of himself on November 7 2007 when he thanked the riot policemen for having dispersed peaceful demonstrators. We could not get in touch with Begashvili. He did not answer our phone calls.

Roman Kevkhishvili, a journalist working in Kakheti based Radio Company “Hereti”, considers that Baadur Guliashvili has more chance to become the Regional Governor.

“I do not know Begashvili and cannot say anything about him. But I remember what he did on November 7. If president appoints Gocha Mamatsashvili as a Kakheti Regional governor, he would lose even more because Mamatsashvili was a dictator while working as a Telavi Municipality Governor. In addition to that he prevented journalists from their professional activities. He has criminal record and it contradicts the statements of the Georgian president about the overall fight against criminals. However, I cannot exclude possibility that authority will be grateful for Mamatsashvili’s deed. He is famous as a great falsifier of elections in the region. As for Baadur Guliashvili, although he worked as a head of the Telavi Police Department for three years, he managed to establish normal relationship with local population, “said Roman Kevkhishvili.

District governors will be replaced too. It is difficult to guess whether they will leave the governors of Dedoplistskaro, Sagarejo and Sighnaghi districts if Gia Natslishvili does not resign; because the governors of above-mentioned districts are close to the current regional governor. Moreover, Lekishvili and Khatiashvili are his relatives. In the case Natsvlishvili resigns the district governors of not only already mentioned districts but of Gurjaani, Kvareli and Akhmeta districts too will be rapidly changed.  There is only one information so far, Levan Baghashvili, former chairperson of the municipality fraction of National Movement wants to be a governor of Dedoplistskaro district.

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

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