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Thousands of GEL for Needless PR And “Unknown” District Governors

December 23, 2008

Gela Mtivlishvili, Gurjaani

According to official information Kakheti municipality budgets spent 350 thousand GEL on the publicity of the activities implemented by local authorities. In parallel to funding, regional newspapers with the district administrations, independent online and printed media sources receive part of local budgets for “informational-advertising services”. Besides that, events aimed for the publicity of activities of local governments are funded from so-called “other” cultural and administrative departments. Although first officials of local authorities almost every day meet TV Companies and newspaper reporters, over 82 % of interviewed people does not know who is the governor of their district.

Among local budgets Gurjaani budget envisages more funds for “informational-advertising service” of local authorities as regional officials call it. In 2008, for instance instead the amount initially envisaged 50,700 GEL almost 60, 000 GEL was spent for advertisements in TV and in the printed media. 17,700 GEL out of that sum was spent on newspaper “Gurjaani” which mostly publishes resolutions of the local municipality board, biographies of local officials and information about competitions announced by the local authority.  The newspaper is distributed by employees of the editorial office.

24 thousand GEL was spent on advertising service in TV; expenses of the TV Tower “Kusalia” is separately envisaged in the budget. Programs of Public Broadcasting and local TV companies are transmitted from this TV power in several villages in Gurjaani district 15,000 GEL was spent on newspaper “Spektri” for advertising events for Love Day. 1,800 GEL was allocated for projects entitle “Youth Leaders” implemented by the newspaper “Kakhetis Khma”. 697 GEL was spent on “Imedi” Center Ltd on arranging the event for drug education. Vasil Utiashvili, the head of the administration within the local authority, explained that “funds are allocated to fund media organizations and sources based on the resolution issued by the municipality board. The funds are spread about based on the contracts between administration boards and informational sources; the aim of these contracts is providing advertising and other services for local authority.”

Lagodekhi and Akhmeta TV Companies, and partially Sagarejo TV Company “Tvali” are funded from local budgets. The latter belongs to Tamar Kurdovanidze, mother of Gia Natsvlishvili, current head of the Olympic Committee and former Kakheti regional governor.

Lagodekhi TV Company receives 20 000 GEL from the district budget. Akhmeta TV Company receives almost same amount of money from the local budget. Newspaper “Akhmetis Matsne” gets separate funds from local authority and it also publishes resolutions issued by municipality boards as well as other information, including the statements of local authorities. It must be pointed out that none of advertisements and articles transmitted by district TV Companies carry advertisements.

Akhmeti district board also has apportioned funds for other magazines and newspapers. Take for example, “Profesionali”, “Tvitmmartvelobis Gazeti”, “Horizonti”, etc. Here we should point out that official source for funding these media issues is expenses the municipality office as indicated in the documents.

Regional newspaper “Shiraki” is funded from Dedoplistskaro district budget. Radio Company “Chveni Radio” and newspaper “Chveni Gazeti”, founded by Gocha Mamatsashvili, former Telavi district governor, are funded from Telavi budget. Sagarejo district board funds newspapers “Kakheti Karibche” and “Ivris Gantiadi”. Newspaper “Kvareli” gets 15 000 GEL every year from Kvareli district budget; and newspaper “Kiziki” is funded from Sighnaghi district budget.

Giorgi Bokeria, director of the non-governmental organization “Association for Civil Development”, states that local budgets spent too much funds for informational-advertising service. It is purchase of intellectual service that should be performed according to the tenders of the Georgian Law on State Purchases. Thus, municipality boards are not authorized to carry out tender for such services.

“Georgian Law on State Purchases envisages purchase of intellectual service. The law defines that it is particular sort of purchase that aims at intellectual and other consulting services. For example, service of TV and Radio broadcasting companies; as well as other sorts of activities that belong to intellectual services. This kind of services should be purchased through tender but there is no municipality administration does not perform similar activities and thus contradict the law,” said Giorgi Bokeria.

Despite large expenses of local budgets for PR campaigns, Kakheti information center carried out polls in the region and concluded that 82 & of the interviewed people did not know who the governor of their district was.

The polls were carried out in Telavi, Akhmeti, Gurjaani, Kvareli, Lagodekhi, Sighnaghi, Dedoplistskaro and Sagarejo districts. People were interviewed based on accidental selection principle on November 10-15 2008. 928 people were interviewed in total.

Only one question was asked: Do you know who is governor of your district? 114 people were interviewed in Telavi, 25 out of them knew that Zurab Butskhrikidze was district governor; in Akhmeta 12 out of interviewed 97 people knew that Koba Maisuradze was district governor; 47 out of 165 people knew that Kakha Labuchidze was governor. Only 6 of 76 interviewed persons knew that Levan Gamsakhurdia was Kvareli district governor. 27 out of interviewed 147 stated that Gia Gozalishvili is Lagodekhi district governor. In Sighnaghi 14 people out of 129 knew that Nodar Kochlamazashvili is the head of their district. Levan Bagashvili is governor of Dedoplistskaro district and only 13 out of interviewed 106 people knew about it. 94 people were interviewed in Sagarejo and only 18 gave right answer that Gia Chalatashvili is their governor.

All in all, only 162 out of interviewed 928, that makes 17, 5 %, knows who their district governor is.

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