NATELASHVILI DOES NOT INTEND TO TAKE ANY POST IN THE PARLIAMENT

SOPHICO SICHINAVA

There will be second important elections in Georgia in autumn. The first elections were held when the country declared freedom and independence from Russia. Now we should really choose the policy that would either lead to the strengthening or loss of independence.

All people would confirm that these elections would, in fact, determine the near future of Georgia as well as the political party that would manage to reach political and economic power. It is the first round of presidential elections, our respondent says. And we can not but agree to it.
Thus, all political parties try to confirm voters that they are the elect of the country. There is much filth in this political hothead. Time has come when everyone understood that people’s will should be taken into consideration along with election fraud. This explicates triumph of the Left ideas, and though everyone tries to lay hand on this segment, it still has to be conquered.
Voters not versed in election will have to clear out which political group will manage to do this. Therefore, it is difficult to say whether these elections will be correct. Or perhaps, they will help people to make their choice?
We speak to Shalva Natelashvili, leader of the labourist party.
– Let us begin with general postulates – as we know from bitter experience, achievement of independence might be easier than its preservation. Now we see that the economy has got into the hands of oligarchic and foreign segments, the country has been enslaved so that these elections will not only put an end to the 30-year epoch of Shevarnadze’s ruling, but they will also serve to strengthen our independence. These words might seem commonplace, but it is so. We should preserve strategic wealth without which Georgian families would have no light and warmth. Readers of your magazine might not need such simplification, but in reality, these are our tasks. If Shevarnadzism continues and the epoch does not change, these processes would deepen regressively and in fact, we will turn into Congo of Caucasian region where there is no statehood, national ideology, internal and external policy, but there is only disagreement between tribes, periodical advantage of one tribe over another, exploitation of economy and country.
– Yet, politically uneducated population will have to go to ballot boxes. Once during the Gamsakhurdia period, almost everyone was called Russian agent and people’s enemy. There is the same today. Can we imagine the West as organic whole? There is no doubt that America supports Shevarnadze, Europe supports Jvania. Are we ready to make out why America fights against France, what the notorious “steel war” was connected with, etc.?
– Georgian people could apprehend even more complex things. Georgian intellect has won even greater wars. What you have mentioned now is a poignant transition process characteristic of one-pole world with obvious US hegemony and with other poles in the embryonic form. I mean Euro Union, China, Asia, the Pacific financial regions, Japan and certainly, Russia. In this background there is also the conflict between the poor South and the rich North with Islamic fundamental problem in the middle. This, certainly, reflects the on-going processes in Georgia – America-Europe, American-Russian relations and Georgia – the dead-end of Eurasia, as it is called. There appear and grow many problems. If we do not learn prophylactic for avoiding the problems, no military or strategic ally will help us. Therefore, it is no use hoping that some of them would come to our help. Great states would not confront each other and start nuclear war. This is the drawback of Georgian policy. For ten years we have hoped that the World Bank or IMF would grant us a credit and instead, we would gift energetics, quartzite, marganese, ports, railway, aviation, fleet to the investors that have relations with IMF. In fact, it did not happen so, but it is not people’s fault, but rather the fault of the political elite that claim to be able to solve great geo-political problems.
– What would you say about pipeline in this connexion?
– The pipeline, certainly, strengthens strategic safety of the country, yet there is the pipeline war between America and Russia with Europe having its own interests in the North, which became clear during Putin’s visit to Great Britain.
In this pipeline war we should balance policy in such a way as not to interfere with both Russia’s plans to carry its energy capacity, for instance, to Armenia and America’s plans to carry the wealth of Caspian Sea to Jeikhan or Mediterranean Sea. However, in this non-interference we should not also forget our interests. We should not, certainly, play off two gigantic states against each other. We should prevent destabilization in the region. Judging by comparison principle, America has no territorial claims to Georgia contrasted with Russia. It is an important factor but, on the other hand, putting down iron curtain on Caucasus and breaking off all economic and cultural relations with Russia means getting into dead end per se. Therefore, we once again face the necessity to apply theory of geopolitical balance and to automatically balance economic interests. What is important is that all this balance should reach Georgian budget. A certain oligarchic group or state segment should not become leader of the balance. Thus, we confront the problem of changing the government. The coming elections are considered by our prism as the first round of presidential elections.
As for us, we are not part of pre-election bloc. We want the country to have a party. The country needs a political party like a state needs University, economy and state museums. Party system has not been formed in Georgia due to the strong interest in blocs. State structures consist of corrupted staff that is formed as a result of agreement within the blocs. Have you seen blocs formed in accordance with the world outlook principle? Popularity of party by no means depends on the factor of party leader. The important thing is to have union of like-mended people. We say ? if we want to have national state, then we should follow the way of national and social justice in policy and accept protection regime issuing from the national business interests.
– There is nothing shameful in it, because the whole world does the same thing. In our country it is considered bad?
– It is because they got keen on cosmopolitism without even having read Vaja Pshavela’s “Cosmopolitism or patriotism”. Why are different funds like USAID, Soros, Eurasian fund and others in Georgia? American friends have recently come to us. I have directly told them that you, Americans, have themselves financed and brought up the political forces that in case of their losing power are ready to buy guns and create danger to the pipeline with your own money. Do you know what the answer was? What could we do, they were the only ones to agree to our co-operation. I said: “You are market economy country and you should know that market economy means variety of alternatives in economy. The same concerns political alternatives. Why did you take orientation on this party only? I have warned not to spend so much money, the party would break up all the same, the money would be lost and American tax-payers would suffer losses while search for other political groups would not be so easy because it would be already late. This would hardly concern the new administration”. They are really worried as they say that such simple and childish work could not be performed in traditional countries. This method might work in other countries, but in our country creating political segment irrespective of people’s will and unifying the non-unifying things is ruled out at least for a century. I would like to believe that our American friends have been slightly mistaken. It is never late to correct mistakes so the current administration wishes that elections would be held objectively in our country and that a new force supported by people would emerge as, to express it in a simple and primitive way, it would not cost American government much to keep this new force.
– What did your project of constitutional changes envisage for?
– Our model has envisaged for allocation of accumulated social, political, economic values by way of elections and determination of responsible subjects. With this purpose we have introduced model of semi-presidential republic. Georgia is so multicoloured from the national, religious and ethnic point of view that presidential ruling becomes necessary here. For example, it will be no use declaring state of emergency before the Parliament assembles and starts to debate and express wise thoughts about introducing emergency case in a certain region. Thus, there should be one authorised person who would work on such global issues. However, he should not appoint ministers, vice-ministers or department chairmen.
– Where does this model come from?
– It is a mixture of French and Polish model. The Cabinet is formed by party or party coalition that won elections to the Parliament. They are responsible for financial, fiscal policy. If the budget is not implemented, it will be possible to dissolve the whole government and form a new one. If the Parliament does not approve budget, the Lower House of the Parliament will be dissolved and new elections will be held. President will become arbiter between these government branches. The Cabinet will know that mistake of one minister might become a reason for dissolving the whole Cabinet. Only then will the ministers waylay each other.
– Judging by the present data, which political party or group can cross the barrier?
– I hope we will have majority of votes. The second group will be government bloc “Voice from Samara”. In Azerbaijan Aliev has government bloc “New Azerbaijan”, in Georgia Shevarandze has “New Georgia”. I would advise them to unite the blocs, to hold elections in Marneuli and form Parliament there. The third force will be Revival Union. According to the present data, the rest do not have the objective chance to cross the barrier unless the government forged election results.
– Therefore, you will receive the main blow.
– It is so, but it is good. In reality we had 17% of votes in previous elections, but we received 6, 98%…
– What if the same happens?
The same will not happen. The world will not permit it. You remember well that Eurostructures have introduced sanctions against Armenia due to the election fraud. Besides, Euro Union and America will not permit any election fraud. At that time election fraud was headed by American ambassador. The new ambassador is a serious and decent man. Thus, global election fraud is ruled out.
– Do you think the opposition might unite with Nino Burjanadze?
– You know, I respect this lady, but I do not consider her a politician. Mentioning of her name in this sense is Jvania’a PR against Saakashvili meaning that if Saakashvili does not join Jvania’s group, the latter will bring the lady to light. Jvania is by no means a stupid man and this ploy is common to him.
Jvania’s voice is “voice from nowhere”. Jvania was defeated by American image-maker from democratic party.
– What do you mean?
– In January 2000, the Civil Union gained majority of votes in the Parliament. No one could imagine the Union might break up. A certain high-rank official calls me from abroad and asks if I might join the groups of Saakashvili and Jvania? I answered that I did not wish to come to agreement the Civil Union. The idea to transfer Jvania-Saakashvili to oppositional camp and to continue Shevarnadzism has been initiated from the very start. It is a classic scheme that did not work in Georgia. Jvania did not think that people would not accept him as a future leader and would not recognise his group, but instead they still preferred Shevarnadze. He and his image-makers were too fast. A clever politician would follow Shevarnadze to the end; they would forge results of Parliament elections together and would finally win Presidential elections.
– Let us revert to the topic of economy. The labourist party is one of the first in all opinion polls. If you come to the Parliament, what would you change in Georgian economy in the initial stage?
– First of all, I would regain strategic wealth. Presently, energetics does not belong to business sphere; it might do so some day in the future. Railway, aviation, fleet, ports as well as export, import and transit of oil products can not belong to private business. Private business should not include wine and cognac. Inclusion of all this in state holding and agencies would bring much profit to the budget.
– Regaining of all this would become a poignant process.
– There is only a problem of hundred families. We would take care of these families. Then we would promote development of small and middle business by means of tax benefits. A whole number of branches should be exempt from taxes. Purchase of agricultural production by state should be restored. Some think that it is Communist idea. However, the whole Europe lives like this. The settlement of this problem is not difficult.
– If you come to power, will the economic order change?
– There should be an order so that one could change it. Yet today there is complete chaos in economy. This should be settled, market economy should have its laws and priorities. State priorities should be well-determined. All property forms have their spheres. There will be no contraband business, bribes. Ideologically our party is a social-democratic movement of western-European direction. This means socially-oriented market economy, elected democracy and pluralist economy.
– How much do you intend to spend in these elections?
– I am not going to spend a great sum only as much as it is necessary. If one party needs 10 million for reaching results, we will need 200 thousands. It is a fact. We have never had the problem of winning votes, but rather defending them.
– Which party would you co-operate with in the Parliament?
– Proceeding from the present political spectre, I can not see any political party that has the real chance to cross the barrier in accordance with the rating.
– What post do you hope to occupy in the future Parliament?
– I need no post; I am getting ready for elections.