06.10.2014 / 11:22

Press Digest 06.10.2014

We have never been faced with such a paradoxical situation here before … when an aggressor can pose as a victim of violence, you, obviously, find it immensely difficult to keep your composure and remain calm --- Mamuka Areshidze

Legislation on “General Education” disapproved by the MPs

Nationals have weapons caches in Atchara as well as in other regions of Georgia

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The resolutions from the EU as well as other International Organizations have, unfortunately, clearly demonstrated that their drafters, as a rule, refuse to gauge the existing situation realistically – they see everything in a way is beneficial for them. Nothing is new about this though… If we discuss this particular resolution, we must admit that some deductions presented in it are right; however, some of them are totally impertinent and unacceptable. Generally, similar resolutions are the reflections of different attitudes towards this or that country. Time and situation, as a rule, play a decisive role in the formation of this attitude. I will bring Azerbaijan as an example; as you yourself have seen, the EU has adopted a much more tolerant stance in this case despite the fact that the country has been driven into disarray due to political persecutions and other illegal acts. Do you know why the EU decided to be more tolerant when it came to our neighbor country Azerbaijan? The EU simply needs this state now,” announces expert Mamuka Areshidze in his interview with the Kviris palitra gazette.

“Like NDI research, similar resolutions bring nihilism towards the western agencies; trust towards them also fades away due to such ludicrous documents. Nothing can be done in this particular situation … However, we all know that the core reason that pushed them to pass this resolution is the fact that the National Movement is still a dominant force in our country, and the EU agencies have not shed their influence thus far. “The EU Public Party,” a partner and a staunch ally of the National Movement, is a leading power in the EU Council, and this powerhouse force, apparently, supports the Nationals. On top of that, the new Government has proven inapt to create European lobby so far. While reading the recently drafted resolution by the EU, one is left with an impression that it is a “half-fiction” and “half-concocted” document. No one argues regarding the fact that the Nationals are prosecuted in Georgia; this prosecution is far from being politicized though; the performers of various unspeakable offences must naturally be punished. That’s it,” maintains Mamuka Areshidze.

“As you know, thanks to this resolution, they once again reminded us of the necessity of fulfilling an obligation Charter for Regional Languages imposed on us. You know, what I would say to them -- they’d better first make their members – Belgium and Spain – fulfill these obligations and only after this urge us to follow their lead. You know, sometimes I am left with an impression that for the EU Georgia is an experimental lab, like it was for Russia years ago. Something that seems totally inadmissible for the EU today turns out to be quite acceptable for it tomorrow… For instance Switzerland has banned the Muslims from constructing mosques; simply think for a while how the Georgian Government’s move to do the same will end…,” says the expert.

To the remark “the resolution regarding Russia highlights the issue of Ukraine and Crimea; however, it says nothing regarding Georgia’s partisan regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Mr. Areshidze replies:

“The Nationals are simply trying their best to ensure the public that the present authorities have totally avoided the responsibility to take some steps in this direction ‘’... However, if you go into detail and thoroughly examine the situation, you will clearly see that the issue of Crimea does not have much in common with that of our Russian-occupied territories. Putin annexed Crimea from Ukraine with the stroke of a pen… through the formal referendum; by all odds, it would be good if such resolutions cast light on Georgia’s breakaway enclaves too but, at this point in time, the eyes of Europe are set on the Crimean peninsula and nothing can be done about this,” claims the expert.

“… As for Georgia, such a paradoxical situation has never been seen here before. In the present state of pay, when an aggressor can pose as a victim of violence, you, obviously, find it immensely difficult to keep you composure and remain sedate... physical altercations in the streets and using our young people to attain some political objectives can change nothing for the better in our country; the Government must definitely adopt effective measures to rectify the situation. Unfortunately, no signs of this have emerged thus far though,” concludes Mamuka Areshidze.

Legislation on “General Education” disapproved by the MPs

"Tamar Sanikidze and Ivane Koghuradze have recently denounced each other as incompetent and unqualified officials. As the Minister of Education announced, he has not heard any normal or sensible opinion when the legislation on “General Education” was discussed in the legislative body,” reports the Rezonansi gazette.

All these arguments started on Friday after the legislation drafted by the Ministry of Education was discussed in the Parliament. The project was recognized as faulty and sent back to the Ministry of Education that was urged to introduce changes to it. It is also worth noting that this legislation is the first document which was denounced as faulty unanimously – both by the representatives of the majority as well as the minority,” says the article.

“Three issues in the legislation on General Education have proven to be points of heated discussions in the parliament; the first issue that triggered a massive backlash from the MPs was their initiation to distribute teachers in 4 key professional categories: 1. Mentor teachers (the supreme category); 2. Researcher Teachers (I category), 3. Privileged teachers (II category); 4. Practitioner teachers (III category). The second initiation which was also disapproved is to grant the Ministry of Education the authority to deprive a teacher of the right to teach, while today only the court is entitled to make this decision. The third and the last initiation that was also turned down by the MPs was their initiation to give the Ministry the right to present a candidature for a school director to the school board. If this candidature is disapproved by the school, the Ministry will be entitled to elect the school director, according to the new initiation. Legal Committee Head, Vakhtang Khmaladze, has defined the practice as dangerous. In his mind, it can support corruption,” reads the paper.

“As Minister of Education and Science, Ivane Koghuradze, maintains, he has never heard anything rational or worth taking into consideration from Sanikidze which is why he is not interested in her opinions. Here he also added that he would be better off to discuss this issue with the MPs than with the journalists. “How can we, having looked through the legislation say that its drafter is a competent professional who cares regarding schools or students? This legislation makes us deduce that these drafters don’t even have the slightest idea what they want to achieve by creating this document,” states Mr. Koghuradze. Academician Zurab Vakhania and Chairman of “Georgia’s Education League,” Manan Nikolaishvili totally share Mr. Koghuradze’s position,” concludes the author of the article.

Nationals have weapons caches in Atchara as well as in other regions of Georgia

"Recently, a newly appointed secretary of the National Movement declared that their party will turn into a European party the representatives of which will retake power in the immediate future. What has fueled such great ambitions within the dismantled party the members of which were once ousted with disdain is unclear. However, the dangerous games launched by them are not a far cry from those games they “played” in the run-up to the Rose Revolution. Former Minister Koba Narchemashvili, labels the National Movement party as a band of criminal thugs that will definitely prove unable to realize their dreams. However, as per him, it’s worth thinking for a while how high of a price will Georgia have to pay to stop their plans,” reports the Kvisris Palitra gazette.

“The only force that can profit from the turmoil in Georgia is the National Movement and “Free Zone” Organization which is controlled by this party and has replaced Kmara. The Nationals simply cannot gear themselves to the fact that they have lost power and have been forced out of their offices. Actually, the National Movement is a product of “corporate reasoning” the maxim of which is as follows: We must bring everyone and everything under our thumb. We must enslave Georgia and the Georgians. We must exhaust all resources and attain our ends whatever it takes. Their policy was based on two things: money and PR. If in the past money enabled them to remain in power, now they want to use it for taking over this power again,” maintains Koba Narchemashvili.

“They have channeled vast amounts of financial resources to offshore zones. As it seems, the Government of Azerbaijan has also provided the Nationals with financial assistance. As far as I am concerned, around 200 people are at the Nationals’ service in Ukraine too. No one knows what kind of tasks they will commit these people to tomorrow… We should also learn the names of those who Saakashvili granted Georgian citizenship to before he was ousted. It is not excluded that these people are moved with a desire to provoke the Georgians. The situation can easily be exacerbated here in the short run as the public has had its fill of the Nationals and only God knows what they will do to get rid of them once and for all,” states the respondent.

To the remark that along with the electronic system, in the law enforcement agencies there is installed a parallel system controlled by Adeishvili that captures any kind of information entering the Ministry and in one of his interviews, he also mentioned that the Nationals might have kept an arsenal somewhere…, the former Minister states:

“I am deeply convinced that some members of the Nationals have access to some secret information of national importance. Years ago, I maintained that all resources to monitor the people’s private conversations and spy on some people’s lives were in the Nationals’ hands. As for their weapons caches, only one of them has been discovered in the region of Samegerelo. They have a minimum of three or four other caches in Atchara as well as in other regions of Georgia; and only God knows why on earth the Nationals need them,” concludes the respondent.