The
revolutionary enthusiasm has gone outIt seemed that the "Revolution
of roses" that took place in Georgia in 2003 and which the international
community welcomed would open a radically new page for the people of the country.
Especially when the West and international organizations including financial gave
financial resources to improve the social-economic bad conditions of Georgia after
democratic considered presidential and parliamentary elections. But now good intentions
of the President Sahakashvili and his adherents and their promises of reforming
the country are less enthusiastic for the peoples of that country. That "Misha"
who was brought to power in 2004 is considered the main reason of public apathy
now. Nowadays more people proclaim about the "Revolution of roses" to
be non constitutional. One of the Georgian politicians, the former adherent of
Sahakashvili Paata Sheshelidze who is now the president of new economic school
of Georgia drawing parallels between the Georgian "Roses’" and the Ukrainian
"orange" revolutions during our private interview in Tbilisi last week
expressed his opinion that the revolution in the Ukraine was more democratic and
constitutional. A lot of people in Georgia are dissatisfied with the internal
and foreign policy Sahakashvili carries out. According to both political and public
figures who we had the opportunity to speak to in Tbilisi and Batum Sahakashvili
has concentrated the whole authority in his hands. The local authorities have
a little opportunity to act freely and independently. Instead according to our
interlocutors the role of power structures in particular the departments of Defense
led by Okruashvili and Internal Affairs led by Merabishvili is great. People of
Georgia also complain of Sahakashvili’s personnel policy. Some people say that
relatives of the President of Georgia, his form-mates fill such posts they have
no idea of it. The same situation is in the province of Georgia, for example in
the autonomy of Ajaria about what the deputy from "Republican" party
of the Ajarian parliament Samona Dumbadze told us. According to the Georgian youth
the attitudes towards mass media are also regressive. It isn’t spoken about censorship
loudly but everybody knows the rules of the game and is busy by self-censorship.
Nowadays the Georgian society became disillusioned after death of the former Prime
Minister Zourab Jvania. Only a few people believe that his death was an accident.But
is everything so dull as it is possible to imagine from the above written? Our
first impression in Tbilisi was that the capital lived with full life. There are
a lot of new buildings. A new church, mosque and synagogue are being harmonically
built nearby in one of the streets of Tbilisi.By the way, there is also an
important circumstance. After passing Bagratashen and in the whole territory of
Georgia there wasn’t any policeman on the streets in contrast to the Armenian
streets.Naira Mamikonian
