WHY WE ARE MORE CATHOLICS THAN THE POPE, OR WHY INDEPENDENT LEGISLATORS DO NOT UNDERSTAND GEORGIA

Emzar Jgerenaia

On these Christmas days there came up an idea of how we, Georgians, like to be more Catholics than the Pope. We are Orthodox believers, and it is difficult to understand, why we assume priority in matters that have nothing to do with us.

In Georgia, law and statutory acts making institutes exist separately – isolated in a test-tube. They have assumed socialist or some other incomprehensible obligations to create a legislative situation which will be progressive on the whole but absolutely unacceptable for Georgia at this stage. The economy is dragging itself along, and the laws are rushing of their own accord. At first we promptly draw up plans, and are pleased when fulfill them, but then we give the alarm and start to criticize them. We set up commissions for studying them, and… what else do you want! That is the intrigue. People are employed, we have a subject to be criticized, and we are preoccupied with concern for the people.
Someone invented a turnover register and we unanimously recognized it (they are looking for him to nominate for the Nobel Prize). It turned out that the whole country is busy writing for the register. They gave up commerce, business, everything, and started filling in registers. Georgia, during the period of its existence, has not seen so much writing and so many writers. But still we got tired, could not write and became bored with paying big fines. Thus, many people preferred to pay a fine to writing. We started to sharply criticize it, changed everything ourselves, and cancelled it by the new year the way we formerly adopted it.
First we passed a law on money laundering one cannot find fault with, and which is extremely necessary. Then we complicated this harmless law and demanded that banks should send notifications concerning everything to Gegutsadze, for transferring to the National Bank, with consequent transferring of the same sum to the banks for inter-bank credits. The Baltic countries, that are members of the EU, have not received this kind of demands yet, and by doing so did much benefit to their economies. We are more Catholics then they are. We work ahead of schedule and have damaged the banking system with fines, and the investment sphere and economy – with confidence. And what of it, but our law is the strictest and it is a big business already. It is not a proper time for economy and business, the main thing is the law, fining for the sake of law, and then saying complacently: what did they think – those bourgeoises!
And finally, still fresh news – 1000 and 25000 GEL fines for not issuing a cash register cheque. Here we surpassed everybody, and it will finally bury small and medium-scale business. That serves them right. Large-scale business will get it too. First we shall pass this law, then start criticizing it, and in future we may cancel it at all. But, in accordance with what obligations or conventions do we do it? Oh, I have forgotten that we are the best Catholics.
I wish merry Christmas and happy New Year to everyone – Catholics, Orthodox believers, but be gracious and come back to the earth. Our Savior himself was here once.