Georgian peculiarities of western economic valuables or Vake piglet Tasiko’s charm and what tender means
Emzar Jgerenaia
First of all I would like to wish you the advent of the long-awaited summer. It is cold and rainy and severe days have come for poor flowers and us as well. They will not bear fruit this year. We should try to adapt to the western valuables in the way that will give us an opportunity of surviving in a severe climate of the world market.
“What a thing you are saying”, – you may say, – “you have not said anything new”. Nothing indeed, since we have already taken over a lot from the west and are trying to introduce it here. We have also learnt a new game – announcing of a so called tender in purchasing of goods and services, that is choosing of the best and optimal ones from among firms’ offers based on the competition principle. And here a Georgian peculiarity has crept into this good product. We are not trying to make equal conditions for business in our country, but we know it in advance whose products we are buying. However, we are arranging a performance as a blind pretending that we are making a choice though everything is obvious to anyone. Imagine that someone is asking you to buy the Easter piglet for 30 GEL (6 kilogram, crispy – one cannot imagine the Easter festive table without a piglet, just like one cannot imagine a train running without the rails). But you say that it must be bought for 50 GEL. Do you know why? – because it is an “elite” piglet, raised in Vake, on the 9th floor. Its name is Tasiko and has an interesting figure, and what is most important – it has never had a Megrelian accent in his life.
And what family man will waste 20 GEL for Tasiko, what does he need Tasiko’s figure for? A piglet is a piglet! The main thing is that it should not be fat, the one that hung itself or having being strangled by the kisses of a neighbor’s piglet, and that the prices should be acceptable. No, we shall surely not buy it for home, but it is different with large enterprises, especially in the state business. For instance, our railway (department) has held a tender for the purchase of computer technics and somehow accepted the offer (nothing would have prevented them from doing it) which was 30% more expensive than other ones. Why? Because in our country it is not a tender but a tend-er! What does it mean?
Tendentious nation! There are still tendentious people among the people that hold tenders, which is very regrettable for the development of business. They make people, firms pay fees for nothing and waste time. Even the theatrical society does not remember a case when people take part in a performance under compulsion. My tendentious people, this performance is not fit for the development of business and the country. Why do you make the country pay so much money for the same commodity. What’s the difference how a piglet or a computer will be packed? You at least have to require the parameters and tell the people that you want this “brand”, and they will not take part and will not suffer losses. In your performance the state and business are the losers, for the time being you are playing a lossless game, but fortunately it is a different time now and this performance will not stay on the stage for a long time. It is time that this noble kind of competition should be ridded of the Georgian accent, so that business could develop and the country should not suffer losses. But… But you are tend-ers, how long are you going to be tendentious!?
Generally speaking, I have nothing against Tasiko, maybe it is a good piglet, it turns out that its owner fed it with
joulien and took him for a walk to Vake park every day. Still, Megrelian piglet is better, it is cheap and industrious. A living Tasiko cannot make the round of 20 people, while a Megrelian piglet fried all over in the oven will be just enough for 20 people. So, the ones who made a choice in favor of Tasiko for this Easter, apparently bought it on mother-in-law’s money, and there is hope that your taste and “tend” erity will change and for the next Easter you will make a choice in favor of a real Lesitchine piglet.
P.S. In relation to a Megrelian piglet I remembered an occasion when during a live appearance on TV some respected corpse sent me an SMS – “Go to your Gali and impose order there”. Thank you very much for reminding me that Gali is mine, let the God hear you, but how shall I manage alone if such a big country has failed to do it. Do you know why? Because we are this kind of tend-er. Since we prefer Tasiko to a refined, noble Lesitchine piglet. We won’t get used to free principles of business, and cannot get rid of the sorrow because of others’ good. We do not want to see each laid brick and raised piglet. I believe that the chief of the railway is from Gali too and hope that he will leave the tend-ers in the past, thus step by step we shall go to the west, and Gali is there too.
It will certainly get warm and spring will come
The tender money will change
Particularly, their heart will become a patriotic one
The lost territory will be recovered
Tasiko and its fans will remain alone