THE 900 NIGHTS` FAIRY TALE OR REAL PROGRAMME OF ECONOMIC REFORMATION (RESUME)

Sofhico Sichinava

Ten years’ achievements of free and democratic government of Georgia has put the Rights at such a disadvantage that the sight of the aggressive voters of the Lefts makes them await weather forecast with fear hoping that at least sunny and good weather would manage to bring their inert voters to ballot boxes.

For politicians it is no more a joke, the Parliament has turned into the epicenter of political events. I do not know whether they conceive the significance of the coming elections for the country as a whole, but flush of populism makes us think that they are well aware of the importance of elections for themselves.
The Rights have failed to unite. There is little time left for the elections. As we can see, parties will complete each other independently, they will try to win and build market economy in Georgia. “The New Rights” stably occupy the Rights niche of political specter contrasted with other unions who are rights in soul, but Left in behaviour. The “New” are frank with the voters. They know that they would have to take many steps for implementing their own ideas. Contrasted with other political groups, “the New Rights” have even offered people a 900-days programme.
We will speak on this issue to Dato Saganelidze, one of the leaders of the “New Rights”:
– Despite the pre-election rough-and-tumble, all political forces agree on one thing ? these elections would serve to clarify their state for quite a long time. Neither your party is an exception. What is your strategy and tactics?
– I agree that these elections will be critical for our country on account of two reasons. The first is formation of political parties in Georgia. There was only Citizens’ Union before. It used to dominate in the political spectre of the country. The rest parties could not prosper and co-exist with this one, they just pretended to be in opposition. Today, there is a different division of political forces. Parliament elections will be followed by the most important president elections. According to the constitution, the presidential term of Shevarnadze expires soon so the country expects a new president. The most important is which political party will have stronger representation. That is why the pre-election period is very strained for all political parties. The second reason is new election code. Unfortunately, all of us knew the way elections were held in our country. The Citizens’ Union has completely controlled central, district and regional Electoral Commission. Thus, the results of elections depended not on the population, but on the Central Commission. The minutes made by the Commission by no means corresponded to the truth and to the real political balance in the country. That s why the Parliament has been considering the issue of Commissions till now. As for your party, I think that the “New Rights” are one of favourites. This is testified by recent social opinion polls. What is more important, our party won more votes in previous elections than all other ones. True, Labourist and National parties have won more votes that we but let us not think that Georgia is confined only to Tbilisi. Elections by proportional representation were held only in Tbilisi. Our majoritars have been a great success in regions. The work of regional organisations of “New Rights” gives us grounds to assert that we will succeed in these elections, too. Preparation is very serious; our headquarters work in strained regime. Contrasted with many other parties, we will have majoritars in many regions or, to be more exact, in all regions.
– Have you finally resolved to participate in the elections alone?
– It is difficult for me to answer this question. Politics is a complex thing; no one knows what might happen in the nearest three months. If we join another bloc, it should be ideologically near to us. I am not personally against such unification. Failure to distribute places in the bloc and therefore, to establish ties with someone is unjustified as mercantile interests are not decisive for us. If such thing happened, we would not unite for winning more votes, but we would rather unite if we had the same ideology, the same position and viewpoints so that after putting mandate in pocket people would not change their way of thinking. Though, there is so little time left that the chance of unification diminishes. People speak about our unification with democrats, national movement. I would once again like to explain through your magazine that this unification did not take place in any political platform, but rather around one particular issue ? around the Election Code.
– Political – oppositional parties lay so great hopes on the Election Code that I really begin to think that these elections will reflect people’s will.
– I hope it will express people’s will, but we, certainly, will not avoid falsification in some regions, districts. It is not ruled out that such thing might happen in Tbilisi, but it will not reach the previous scales. Some people are so much accustomed to falsification that they think it should be so. The second factor is that the government failed to present the real list of voters. Today, as far as we know, the Internal Affairs Ministry has already made the list, but it is an old one with slight corrections. Our party has held a protest action proclaiming elections without fraud. We passed all districts, streets and blocks and we have made the list. We have not done this not only for us, but we have also submitted it to the government and all political parties for consideration. Making the list is a laborious process. Almost 350 people worked on computer version. Comparison will be drawn after the government list is published. I know that there will be a great difference. I do not know how long it would take to make the list. As a rule, the list should be published 40 days earlier, but as the case stands, it is usually published one or two days earlier. If it is so, there will be a catastrophe.
– You said that results of these elections will answer people’s will: what is the will of people, to what extent is it considered in the ideology of political parties and in general, in political situation inside and outside of Georgia. How would people make their choice this time?
– I am a voter, too, and as a simple voter, I should tell you that voters themselves have such a different mentality that it is difficult to assert anything. Let us discourse on the subject in accordance with principles. What principle stipulates peoples’ behaviour? The fact is that the government has completely lost populations’ trust. Their only way is falsifying election results. If we do not give them this chance, they will find themselves in political backstage. As for oppositional parties, we can divide them into the Left and Right wings. The advantage of the Left politicians is that their “messages” are agreeable to population ? free healthcare and education, high salaries ? the main thing is that somebody wishes something? Unfortunately, such people do not think where such well-being would come from and how everything would suddenly become free-of-charge in the country. Thus, it is a sheer populism and it has nothing to do with people’s wishes and real programme. What is more important, such parties always avoid coming to the government preferring oppositional niche and criticism because they are less capable of doing anything. As for the ideology of the Right, the matter is a bit difficult here. It is necessary to make some unpopular steps. Healthcare and education can not be completely free-of-charge. However, let us view this issue in another way: a family should have as much income as to cover all expenses. Our principle is as follows: strong and rich person, accordingly, strong and families and, therefore, strong and rich state.
– Thus, the Rights are not in a favourable state so you should have less ground for optimism.
– You know, I would not say so?Today, most population has correct political views, they can well differentiate lie from truth, real from unreal. It is suitable to us. Unfortunately, most people do not make such analysis. Though, population has long practice. They know what they have received from previous promises?.
– Such promises were given by the Citizens’ Union that, as you know, has completely lost people’ trust while opposition has not yet managed to benefit from such slogans.
– Then I would like to tell you I do not wish to mention any political parties and to oppose anyone, but there are Left political forces that have achieved great success and afterwards refused leadership as they beforehand knew that they would not be able to implement pre-election slogans. Does not the population understand this? The main thing is not to tell good things to people, but rather to promise things that they might not like, though this might be the only way for survival. Incidentally, I am a surgeon by profession. If you tell a patient that he is not ill and that he should just go and drink drops, he will be happy and he will say that the doctor is good though the doctor knew that these drops would not cure him. But if the patient has the chance to survive, he should be told that he needs a serious operation that might last for 8, 10, 15 hours. The same is the country.
– After your party has been formed, people said that your popularity would be dubious as people would look at the party of a rich man with suspect. Have you had such problems?
– Yes, sure. Let me remind you how we got into the list of Citizens’ Union. The then leaders called us and told us that we were the people who made success in business, employed hundreds, thousands of people, brought millions of lari or dollars to the budget; we were the people who demonstrated to the population that business could be made in such situation, too. They invited us to their party saying that we were the new people. During the election campaign the Citizens’ Union made use of it, but after we started to work on particular issues, they stopped us and explained that it was none of our business, that we should keep silent and address them in case we had any personal interests. This gave rise to contradiction with the Citizens’ Union. We formed a new party and tried to implement our initiatives. Most population sees that such approach is correct ? one searches for the ways of employing people, for priorities in the country and directions of development, etc. Thus, some might be irritated by the thought that we are rich people, but rich people usually do not need any positions for corruption.
– Compared with other parties that have plans of country’s economic development, you have offered to the population the 900 days’ term of economic recovery. Who is the author of the project and what are its principal directions?
– I think that if political party has serious claims and ambitions for coming to power, it should offer voters very detailed views on the economic recovery and future of the country. We have started to work on the programme ever since the political union “The New Rights” has been formed. A programme group was formed. It consisted of 10, then 15 programme sectors ? healthcare, education, defence, external relations, environmental protection, etc. Each sector worked with specialists who dealt in this sphere. Their as well as population’s opinion was studied in detail, written down, analyzed and formulated. Then we knew which way was correct. We made a great and thick document detailing all directions. It was said what should be implemented in the country, which law should be changed, what the structure of executive authorities and administrative order should be like. We have also made a short sketch of the programme that could be easily understood by the population.
– What is your conception of recovery and development of regional economy in the programme?
– We have devoted a separate chapter to this issue. Georgia has a favourable geographic location. Looking at the map it is a small country, but there is such a great difference between west and east, north and south. It is impossible to use single development conception for all regions. If there are different priorities for Megrelia, Ajara, Guria, they should also be different for Samtskhe Javakheti, mountainous Racha, Svaneti, Gardabani or Dmanisi. Thus, development of regional economy should be based on regional wealth and traditions.
– You might follow the example of the Left and tell them what would be the average salary after 900 days?
– We have not made any such detailed indications in our programme, but we should say that it would be higher that the present subsistence level. The average salary should be enough for our population to live and not only to exist. The present subsistence level of 115 lari is enough for population to survive, but we have different approach to the population ? the population should not die, it should live deservedly. I think that the present subsistence level is very low; average salary and pension will be much higher than the subsistence level.
– If you do not manage to come to majority, what will happen to your programme?
– It has no difference whether I will be in position or opposition. The main thing is to bring home to the present government the reality of the programme and assure it to realise this programme. It is not important to us what will be the name of the programme; the main thing Is that it is realised.
– Incidentally, nationals said they had the economic revival programme, too. I mean Gia Moisashvili’s “recipe”. Have you heard about it? Does the programme exist in the form that you imagine?
– I have heard about this programme and I have even seen it on paper, but not in this form. I an not acquainted with Gia Maisashvili, but I remember his activities 10 years ago when there was “Caucasian Bank”, “Caucasian Stock”. I know what the problems were there then. I am pleased to hear that Mr. Gia reassessed his views and made real programme. If he did it by means of past approach and forms, he would, unfortunately, face a crash.
– I should ask you a traditional question that is popular in pre-election period: what is your political prognosis, what will be the distribution of forces in the future Parliament in accordance with the Tax Code that I hope, will be passed after the first and second hearing.
– First, it is difficult to make any prognoses. Secondly, I do not wish to advertise any party. On the contrary, I will say that the government has no chances to win. The government always has more possibilities to do anything for the country than any oppositional parties. If the government loses this chance, it becomes the tragedy of the whole country. I say it with great pain and grief. It is a catastrophe when there is no result except negative ones. The same concerns “Revival Union”. As it seems, this bloc has developed fear syndrome towards these elections. We should admit that Labourist party has permanently high rating; it has occupied the Left niche firmly enough. The national movement to a certain extent co-exits in this niche, too as they have the Left and sometimes Right position towards particular issues. As for this wing, it is wholly occupied by the “new Rights” party.
– What do you think will be the external influence on elections?
– I think, external forces will not make significant influence on political results. There will, certainly, be some financial and business aid from America, Europe and Russia. For instance, Americans help us in PR work. I am sure other parties will have similar aid. However, this will not have decisive influence on elections. Very often relations with investors become a subject of populism. I think that expression of attitudes of many parties towards American and Russian companies is often exaggerated. We should always equal business and entrepreneurial activities to politics though I agree to it that Georgia should not concede its strategic positions in important strategic sphere and it should not get into the hands of any external forces.
– Another traditional question. How much do you intend to spend on elections?
– As much as I attract. I wish to attract more and accordingly, to spend more as, in reality, elections are the process that knows no limits to expenses. I think, we will be able to mobilise significant funds?
– How much approximately?
– I can not say this. For one thing, I do not know this as one thing is what we have, how much we spend and will spend in three months. Secondly, I would like to inform my opponents on it. I can not name you the sum despite the great respect towards your magazine.