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What Became the Reason for the Resignation of Shida Kartli Regional Governor?-Protecting “Trialeti TV” or Unsustainable Victory of Mikheil Saakashvili in Presidential Elections?

January 24, 2008

Lado Gegelashvili was appointed to the position of the Shida Kartli Regional Governor three months ago. Many questions emerged during this period and the most important of them was what is the future of those people who lost their properties with the hard effort of former Regional Governor, Kareli and former Defense Minister, Okruashvili; why are painting of facades and setting up fountains still priorities of the local authority?
 
It is difficult not to recollect recent months. During Gegelashvili’s governance only regional TV Company “Trialeti” relieved. The company belongs to the former MP Badri Nanetashvili. By the way, on June 21 2006 when the Georgian Parliament balloted on expelling Nanetashvili from the legislative body MP Lado Gegelashvili balloted for ceasing Nanetashvli’s powers as an MP. According to the spread information high ranking officials from the central government got annoyed at apportioning large amount of money to the TV Company “Trialeti”.

Another version of discontent about Gegelashvili’s governance was unsustainable victory of Mikheil Saakashvili in the elections. Everybody expected Saakashvili to gain much more votes in the region because he set the region free from the previous corrupted authority. However, it did not work. Saakashvili lost polls at several PECs. All in all, political tensions have increased in Gori again. A new governor will be Lado Vardzelashvili who is the head of Mikheil Saashsvili’s election HQ in the region. Although Vardzelashvili could not keep his promises on collecting most votes in the region for the president, he still remains favorable candidate for Shida Kartli Regional Governor.

As for Gegelashvili, although his priority was to support local business in the region, and Badri Nanetashvili’s business was one among them, (that person was expelled from the parliament for running the private business), regional governor has assisted only Nanetashvili among those business-owners who lost their properties during Kareli’s governance. These people are waiting for justice. Administrative Boards, Municipality Boards and Regional Administration suspended the contracts with the TV Company Trialeti that was much protested by Giga Bokeria, leader of the majority in the Parliament, in the TV Talk-Show “Ghia Eteri” (Open Air) in June of 2006. Besides that Davit Kirkitadze, Secretary General of the National Movement, asked a journalist for the “trialeti” during his visit in Gori: “Is not your company closed yet?” However, Lado Gegelashvili is considered to be Kirkitadze’s favorite.

Before starting the conversation with former regional governor, we had to recall past events too.

-Why have I faced so many problems here after appointment? Lado Gegelashvili asked.

-Yes, why have you faced so many problems?

-Of course, it is fault of the team which governed the region before me; they were responsible to resolve all problems here. Everybody is curious why other regions have achieved more that our region has. Why is the infrastructure much more developed in other regions than in Shida Kartli?

-By the way, your predecessor, Mikheil Kareli, recently said that Prime-Minister Zurab Noghaideli was not apportioning enough funds to develop the regional infrastructure.

-The region had budget of nine million lari. When we arrived here there was 870 000 lari in the budget. Besides that President’s Reserve Fund apportioned 600 000 lari and that money is spent on the repair-works of inner roads in the villages of the region. Thus, the money, previous government had, was enough to resolve those problems. Those people did not take advantage of the situation.

-You were member of their team, weren’t you?

-Yes I was. By the way we should not forget the benefit of those people they made to the Rose Revolution. However, I could not support the people who started to lead the HR policy when they appointed only their relatives and friends on high positions. These and many other faults on their activities became the reason for me to oppose them.

-By the way, it was claimed that Irakli Okruashvili and Mikehil Kareli got rid of you because you were informing Mikheil Saakashvili about their mistakes…

-I cannot react on similar information. Private talks between me and my friends is not an appropriate topic for our discussion. I have heard another version of our disagreement…

-We have heard it too; it started in 2005; then people spoke about your possible appointment as a regional governor…

-Nobody spoke about it at that time however many suspicious people doubted on it. By the way, at that moment MP Teo Tlashadze called me and asked me the same; she had also heard about rumors. I replied to her I had also heard that she had taken shares from the local saw-mills and I asked if it was true story. It happened when people spread rumors about us. I remember you wrote about the argument between my and Mikheil Kareli’s friends. Why are not you asking me now what really happened between them?

-I checked the information with the participants of that incident and Davit Kekelishvili himself (former high-ranking official in Shida Kartli region). You did not take part in this incident…But it was not difficult to find out that the argument happened at the Baptizing party of your child.

-You wrote that people had argument because of Gori located free canteen for improverished people. Simply, several people made incorrect remarks on the issue and it resulted into a discontent but you called it a quarrel.

-The fact is that Kekelishvili was beaten. Besides that, the funds of the free canteen were wasted at that time. Let’s forget it and answer me please, why you could not resist Mikheil Kareli’s team?

-Since you are leading the conversation in this direction I will tell you that local government did their best to decrease the reputation of the leading party in the region. In all cities and towns the sessions of the National Movement were successful throughout Georgia, they failed only in Gori. When people gathered in the Culture House for the session, I called Mikheil Kareli but he could not come to the meeting. After that they collected their supporters and resigned me from my position of the chairperson of the Regional Organization of the National Movement. I avoided open controversy. We respected our leaders and considered that the disagreement between me and Mikheil Kareli should not go too far. We thought they had considered their mistakes and we hoped they would improve them in the future.

-The president regretted for not having started fight against Gori Mafia long before. If you had kept on your principles and started open fight against Kareli’s team, should the situation have been better in the region?

-I cannot claim what was better decision at that moment. I preferred to avoid the controversy then.  Moreover, I did not consider any of them my personal enemies. I remembered very well when the candidates for the chairman of the National Movement’s regional organization were discussed; Mikheil Kareli suggested the central government to send me to Gori. But afterwards, they collected people and resigned me from the position. It would not have been right if I had continued being stubborn in similar situation.

-What would you tell me today when the board of the National Movement’s Gori branch is completely staffed with people from Tbilisi? Could not the government find any reliable person in the region?

¬-I cannot agree with that position. Gorgi Botkoveli’s family comes from Gori. Lado Vardzelashvili comes from the village of Ruisi in Kareli district. “National Movement’ does not work only in Gori, it has branches throughout Georgia. We are strong team which has achieved much success during four years of our history.
 
-MPs from Gori were members of that team too; why have you expelled them from the party?

-You are not right. Which MPs from Gori do you mean?

-Yes, you are right; it was only one MP, Badri Nanetashvili. As for Teo Tlashadze, she left the leading party herself and made a public announcement about it. The society is interested what you have done for Gori residents? I can understand that MP cannot visit each family and start graveling the roads. For example, people from various circles are curious why you have not raised the question on granting the status of city to Gori?

-It is very important case and we can discuss it at the next meeting. At the moment I would like not to speak about it.

-I have looked through the final amendments introduced to the local budget. It seems that the priority of the local authority is not changed and they still focus on setting up fountains, painting facades and repairing roads.

-Local budget receives transfer from the central or reserve budget for special purpose. Neither Municipality nor the Regional Administration can spend it on other purposes.

-What will you do next year when the income to the local budget will be completely transferred to the central budget? What is the guarantee that central government will approve the projects initiated by the Gori Municipality?

-We will try to submit well-balanced, acceptable projects with set of priorities to the central government and their will approve it. Of course, the whole local resource will be spent on the implementation of the project.

-I wonder where did you find the funds for TV Company “Trieleti”, let’s turn back to the main topic of our conservation-protection of the interests of property owners’ and businessmen. Several members of the Administrative Board wondered why the board did not wait for the court decision on “Trialeti” case.

-The documents on the TV Company were in order. Thus, as soon as we had a chance to cease the disagreement between the Administrative Board and the TV Company, we cancelled the resolution of the previous governor.

-Why is not it so easy to protect the interests of the businessmen and property owners who were terrorized during previous government. Why the investigation of their cases are so prolonged…

-Most of those cases are investigated by the corresponding bodies and some of them are being discussed at the court. Thus, I cannot interfere in the affairs of the prosecutor and the judge.

-Cannot you settle those disagreements in a simple way where the administrative board, as a party at the court hearing, will put en end to the prolonged court hearings?

 -There were concrete materials, video-recordings on the TV Company “Trialeti” which demonstrated how the fence of the TV Company was being destroyed at night. In other cases we do not have such materials.

-As far as we know when tractors were destroying that fence they were showing the resolution of the regional governor. The point is that I cannot agree with you in your claims that in other cases you do not have enough materials because there is a concrete document to prove that one of the shareholders of the Gori Agricultural Market, Temur Bluashvili assigned the shares of other twelve shareholders to the Regional Administration without asking the permission to his co-partners (if not mention the harassment on those people); there are a lot of video-materials to prove that the property and wheat of Nodar Maisuradze, a leaseholder in the village of Kvemo Khviti, was appropriated. Maybe the point is that local government is afraid to reimburse so much damage to those people? We have a video-recording which demonstrates how officials from the district and regional administration were grabbing the wheat…

-I would like to repeat once more that I am not a judge to decide who is guilty and who is innocent. You know that every case is discussed at the court. Nobody fears to compensate the damaged people if the local government is found guilty. We are fully aware of these problems. Of course, if it is possible to avoid endless court hearings we will do it. By the way I visited the village of Kvemo Khviti several days ago where I spoke about the plots of the leaseholders and their deprived properties too. I promise both sides that I will be an initiator of the dialogue between them. These rival sides should meet each other and we will play similar role in all other disagreements too.

-As for the culture, let’s speak about Robert Mghlakelidze and his appointment as a director of the Stalin Museum…

-Robert Maghlakelidze is decent person.

-Was he decent person in the village of Tsitelubani too?

-I cannot understand what you are speaking about.
-In August of 2007 you did not allow the head of the Culture Department, Robert Maghlakelidze, district governor and municipality governor into the stadium of the village of Tsitelubani. The whole Georgia saw that fact on TV…

-Maghlakelidze did not do anything wrong there that could prevent us from appointing him to any position. Anyway, I am curious why you have similar reaction on his appointment.

-Generally, visitors arrive in Gori to visit Stalin Museum, Uplistsikhe and other historical monuments. When a person, who was member of the corrupted government, is appointed to the position where most funds are allocated during the tourist season, it causes some misunderstandings.

-I can agree with you that there are many misunderstandings in this field. I cannot tell you where the income from the local tourism goes to. As far as I know corresponding bodies are investigating that situation. At the moment the district does not have large number of tourists and I cannot claim yet where that fund goes to. But during next tourist season I assure you that the control in Stalin Museum and at other historical monuments will become much more severe. Gori will definitely become the developed and tourism city.

All in all, Gegelashvili leaves the Shida Kartli region so that local people cannot see whether he keeps his promises or not. However, the representatives of the Administrative Board claim that his close friend and next regional governor, Vardzelashvili, will not change his policy of governance and will keep those promises.

Saba Tsitsikashvili, Gori

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