Amnesty

Dr. Emzar Djgerenaia

I have heard this for 40 years: comm-unists, marx-ists, trotsk-ists, opportun-ists, stalin-ists, zviad-ists (the latter have even been hunted down, now they are not), Shevarnadz-ists (it is yet punishable), revanch-ists, econom-ists, but today amen-ist is the most popular, i.e. person who is amen-ist. The popular word amnesty comes from it.

The word “Amen” is sacred for each Christian, we say it after prayer or when we hear somebody asking God for something and express our consent or wish that the God should fulfill somebody’s request. Thus, for instance, when somebody asks the God to forgive his sins before the tax policy for concealing his incomes, as it is said render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s or when somebody promises he would never do the same sin any more, a man standing next to you will say – amen, God will hear you. This man is the very amenist as he agrees to the friend’s request and he himself becomes a mediator before the God – he asks the God to forgive his friend. Do not think that I speak of tax policy, I mean only that amnesty is a good thing. For instance, my grandson Luca received full and unconditional amnesty on March 6. Amnesty was very pleasing to me in these cold spring days. The spring with its blossom of almond tree flowers and its wonderful colour gamut of field roses brings hope. You look for something new, for something or somebody that you have never experienced or seen before. Nature seems to be born anew and involuntarily it occurs to you that perhaps you could begin everything anew like Luca who was given the chance to live. We should begin everything anew because we have lived through 15-years’ cold winter and have all the time covered ourselves with warm blankets that have not even reached to our genitals, let alone our heels. We were hungry, frozen, neighbours threw stones at us, it was dark and we lived on what we could snatch at. We would not survive otherwise. Certainly, if we made business, we sinned. Especially since 1998. Till that time people could still make legal business and there were many of them then. For instance, in 1992-1993 import was tax-exempt in Georgia by the decree of the Prime Minister, while export and barter were subject to tax. There was certainly no notion of smuggling then. Import was completely legal. For instance, the epoch of change in currency reserves: in 1991-1993-1995-1996-1998 dealing operations developed similarly and money was made legally. At that time firms registered in Georgia exported metals, iron, oil, etc. from Europe to Russia in re-export regime, but in 1997-1998 the situation changed and winter did not only become cold, but unbearable. Besides, the neibouring Russia that used to provide us with logs and feed us after the 1998 crisis has ceased to do so. And we found ourselves thrown to the mercy of face in the gorge of our tax code. Taxes turned into a web:
VAT;
Excise;
Customs tax;
Land tax;
Income tax;
Trade tax;
Ecology tax;
Profit tax;
Business tax;
Advertisement tax;
Property tax;
Road charges;
Healthcare tax;
Unemployment tax;
Social tax;
Tax on the transfer of property ;
Besides, calculation methods of each of them have changed for 3000 times being constantly exposed to reforms. New codes have been passed two times a month. It was difficult to follow the changes both physically and morally. Nobody can say that in 1999-2000 he made completely legal business. All of us are sinners in this country. That is why the country needs to move forward towards the best future. We should not be burdened with the past, envy, rancor and wish to kill others. Christ’s precepts saying that one should forgive and love fellow creatures must prevail.
This spring at the end of the Lent and before the Easter we should prevail over ourselves and our personal emotions. We should think of changing game rules so that man would cease to be a slave and captive of the system. Economy needs free vision of problems, way of thinking and initiative. Then both the West and East will say Amen to the God in our prayers for prosperous economy, eradication of unemployment, solution of domestic problems and improvement of social state!
However, before anybody tells us amen, we should themselves become amen-ists. We should say that Georgia is an amen-ist country. A country can not be built on rancor and envy. Instead, we can do this by forgiving, supporting and praying for each other.
Pray before the Easter and be amen-ists. Just think how good it is to be called amen-ist. If you do not believe me, ask the little Luca. He meets Easter for the first time and he will receive unconditional amn-esty. He is not sinful yet.
March morning and burgeons on the branches are wonderful. One gets the impression that my country and its economy will blossom in this spring.
When I look into the eyes of little Luca, I believe that he is an amen-ist. And you?