Government of Patriots or “Little People” in Shida Kartli

(Cleaner is the person who has longest working record and best professionalism in the local authority)

Saba Tsitsikashvili, Gori

“Are we not working here for your benefit? Just allow us to get along with our work as we have lots to do,” … officials from the Gori authorities are  making such statements when they are presented with right to public  information  applications by representatives of the Human Rights Center. The Centre sent several scores of applications to the local authority but professional replies have not been forthcoming – and not to even a single request.  The Human Rights Centre will now send the collected materials to the Georgian Public Defender in order to request corresponding assessments of the matter and that conclusions will be made based on the presented facts.

“We cannot create a separate position for a person who is responsible for issuing public information just because you want such a service,” said representatives of the chancellery of the Shida Kartli Regional and Gori District Governors. As a rule, Gori district governor replied to the letters of the Human Rights Center’s Shida Kartli office. However, if the letters are submitted to the regional administration, the deputy regional governor accepts responsibility for replying to the correspondence. These people sign the requests for public information that are provided to our office, and in most instances, the applications are incomplete and provided late.

We applied to the regional and district governor several times about this problem. Zurab Chinchilakashvili, deputy governor, promised that if somebody from their personnel makes a mistake, he will personally hold them accountable.

The Human Rights Centre requested the information of the past experience and backgrounds high-ranking officials that are working at the local authority

Shida Kartli Regional Administration

Vladimer Vardzelashvili involved state management in 2003. Initially he was the head of the Youth Affairs Department; at this time he was deputy minister of culture, monument protection and sport.

Zurab Chinchilakashvili, before he assumed the position of deputy regional governor, he was interim deputy chairperson of the Georgian Central Election Commission. His political activities started long before, back in 1998 when he was accepted as a specialist at the secretariat of the Public Relation Department in the Youth Branch of the Georgian Citizens Union (ruling party during Shevardnadze’s governance). 2004 to 2007, he worked in the youth civil service department of the Tbilisi City Hall. In 2007 he was head of the Material-Technical Department of the Georgian Ministry of Environment.

Ramaz Chochishvili worked at the Ministry of Internal Affairs for many years before he accepted the position of the deputy regional governor. He worked at the Service Department of Sport and Tourism at the Tbilisi City Hall for a short period of time. Later he became a district governor for the Gori region. One of the private companies “Iberia” -during his governance had demanded reimbursement for the implemented work during the period when Mikheil Kareli served as the regional governor for Shida Kartli; the company had painted the facades of the houses in Gori. However, Chochishvili refused to pay the money and the company appealed to the court and won the trial. The district administration had to pay the money under a court order. As we later learned, the Minister of Regional Management protects the company “Iberia”. In 2004 the company painted the facades in Tbilisi and the total price of the implemented work totaled 2 million GEL. When there was nothing left in Tbilisi to paint they went to regions to continue painting. As a result of the controversy with the Company Ramaz Chochishvili was forced to resign from his position as the district governor.

Badri Nanetashvili, the third deputy regional governor; he is a metallurgist by profession.  In 1989 he was worker at the Rustavi Metallurgical Factory. Then he established a TV Company in Kareli, a town in Shida Kartli. After several years of less than successful work, in the 1990s, Gori district governor, Givi Gagnidze assisted Badri Nanetashvili to move the TV Station to Gori. TV Company “Trialeti” still works to this time. However, its frequency is so weak that many people living in outlaying villages of the region are unable to watch this station.  Badri Nanetashvili, with the support of his TV Company, first entered the Georgian Parliament in 2004, and in 2008 he became the deputy regional governor.

Today Vardzelashvili respects his deputy, Nanetasvhili very much. Every Thursday and Friday local governmental officials take part in the live TV programs where they fight against the political parties and organizations that are in opposition to the current ruling authority.

Giorgi Avaliani is the head of the Shida Kartli Regional Development Department. Before coming to Gori he was the chairperson of the NGO “Patrioti”. He was also a coordinator of International Youth Organization of SUAM Countries in Georgia. In parallel, Avaliani is taking master courses in political science at the Tbilisi Ivane Javakhishvili state university.

The remaining 20 people working at the regional administration are ordinary people with typical backgrounds. Some of them came to the administration from the youth branch of the National Movement. Several worked at public schools; others were specialists of various departments within local governmental units.

Leila Tatanshvili is the only person who has served the regional administration from the very beginning and she is considered as being the most best professional member of the staff.

Leila Tatanashvili started working as a cleaner at the Gori District Youth Palace in 1973. She worked there for three years; in 1980-82 she worked as a watchwoman of the Gori Sport School. In 1982 local authority honored her hard work and since that time until 1989 Leila Tatanshvili worked as a cleaner at the Gori Civil Executive Council of the Public Deputies. Then in 1989-91 she worked at the Gori Residential Department # 1; in 1991-92 Tatanashvili was employed by the Gori Prefecture Administration and in 1992-95 she was cleaning Gori District Administration building. Currently, the woman works at the regional governor’s office. Although Leila Tatanshvili has the longest working record in the regional administration, her salary is still the lowest of among all who work with the administration.  Anyway she has always been true to her profession dating back to 1973.