Our Government has subjected Mikheil Saakashvili to legal prosecution precisely today for one reason only -- the vast majority of our western partners will view their move to do so as a desire to reinstate justice in Georgia and not repression against him

 

InterPressNews sat down with sociologist and analytical expert, Valerian Gorgiladze, to discuss acute issues of Georgia’s internal and external policy.

- Everyone was aware that the Government’s move to charge Saakashvili as an offender would prompt a strong reaction from the public and spur politicians inside the country as well as outside its borders to make stentorian statements in relation to this issue. We were also well aware of the fact that the opposition would label the acting authorities’ decision as political persecution, while the top officials would announce that all are equal before the law and each and every criminal must be given their due. There is not a shadow of doubt that the government’s move to institute legal proceedings against Mikheil Saakashvili is a political decision. In your opinion, what kind of political objectives does the Government long to achieve by bringing our ex-President to justice?

-Let’s pursue elementary logic – the victory of Georgian Dream on the 2012 Parliamentary elections in which this party ran circles around their political rivals has been viewed not simply as the victory of one political power over the other force but as a victory of People’s Movement over a profligate and mendacious power. Thus, if the National Movement is deemed to be a political movement with clear-cut criminal inclinations, its members must definitely be brought to justice. Otherwise, the victory of the Dream Government will be viewed as faked and ostensible. It’s paradoxical, however, it’s a fact that the National Movement tries to label the Georgian Dream Coalition as a power apt to hold an effective PR campaign. However, we all know that actually this allegation does not ring true. If the National Movement is not a party manned with criminals, then logically the Georgian Dream cannot be viewed as a political power that liberated the country from their far-reaching tentacles. From this point of view this can also be defined as a political decision as it is directly linked to the political mission of the Georgian Dream Government – to free the country from the corrupt regime and to reinstate justice here.

-- Don’t you think that the by taking this step the present top officials desire to prove that everyone is equal before the law and high posts do not allow criminals to enjoy impunity?

- Tell me why Helmut Kohl, Jacques Chirac, Silvio Berlusconi must be punished for much less grave offences and why the perpetrators of truly terrible crimes must enjoy impunity? High posts must not by all odds grant the wrongdoers immunity from punishment. And this certainly means that the Georgian Dream leaders will not be ensured from political prosecution if they perform misdeeds in the future.

- As the representatives of the Chief Prosecutor’s Office claim, they have instituted legal proceedings against Mr. Saakashvili on the basis of concrete facts and evidence. However, what do you think can we assume that their decision has been fueled by their desire to remove Saakashvili from the political stage?

- What kind of a goal must they be trying to reach by this step? According to the official data, from 2012 to 2014, the National Movement has lost 550 thousand advocates. I want to remind you of the fact that during presidential as well as local elections Saakashvili as well as Ugulava presided over the National Movement as well as the election headquarters. And precisely during this period of time the National Movement’s rating went down below zero. Who knows, the representatives of a new generation who are in the ranks of the Nationals today will prove able to revitalize the party and reframe it to the core. However, first of all, the leaders of the party must admit their mistakes and must succeed in involving themselves in bilateral communication with their people.

- As it was expected, rather influential groups of American and European politicians took sides with Saakashvili. The new Government has pursued such a trenchant policy to cultivate relations with the West that the allegations from the left-wing party that by charging Saakashvili as an offender the authorities have complied with the instructions of the Russian strongman seems rather incredible. The NATO Wales summit is near and by rights the Government should not have summoned the President to the Prosecutor’s Office to avoid tarnishing Georgia’s reputation on the international scene. In your opinion, what has made the Government take this step now?

- We can bring several reasons that pushed the powers that be to take this step: for the first time in the history of Georgia, our leadership is more than willing to form a competent and qualified body that must prove able to hold an objective investigation. And obviously years must pass to put this intention into practice. This process will by all odds take at least 10 years – preparing qualified investigators cannot really be viewed as an easy task to negotiate. That is why the Prosecutor’s office cannot keep pace and cannot cope with its challenges soon enough today.

In addition to the aforementioned, the West fell short of information regarding the power that took up the reigns in Georgia quite unexpectedly. On top of that, the National Movement, which had already been established on the international scene by that time, has exploited all its resources to besmirch the reputation of the newly elected authorities in the international arena -- they actively disseminated information that presented the foreigners with a distorted image of Georgia which was exhibited as a country ruled by Putin’s puppets who turned their back on their European choice, neglected democracy and attempted to take vengeance on the beacon of Democracy – his majesty Saakashvili and his entourage.

However, time passed by and Europeans got that a smear campaign against the Dream Government was launched purposefully and was entirely footless. Their move to positively assess the ongoing processes in Georgia as well as the recently ratified landmark pact can serve as a clear testimony to this.

Moreover, the visits of French and German high officials clearly vindicates the claim as per which the Europeans’ interest in Georgia has unprecedentedly increased. It is true that the present Political Biggies are faced with certain difficulties but the atmosphere in our country is more healthy and positive today. And do you know why the Government has subjected Mikheil Saakshvili to legal prosecution precisely now? -- Because the vast majority of our western partners will view their move to do so as a desire to reinstate justice in Georgia and not repression against Saakashvili prompted by Putin.

- Can we hope that the investigation into this case will be transparent, just and objective?

-- As for transparency, I think that all processes that have occurred thus far have been absolutely transparent. Objectivity is directly linked to the investigators’ qualifications. Anyway, I do hope that they will succeed in taking effective steps and solving high-profile cases.

- Against this background when the entire world’s stance has changed in relation to Russia, what kind of measures must our Government adopt to pursue the only right policy?

- The Government is doing a really good job today – they have found a rational foreign vector. As for the Nationals, they have refused to drop a malign and destructive policy, and this does not really speak well of them.

We must elaborate a careful policy with respect to Russian and must make strenuous efforts to avoid confrontations with this country. Within 5 or 10 years, the entire world will weather a really rough patch, and against this background our prime task will be to survive and develop as a state and as a nation.

Koba Bendeliani

InterPressNews