President Saakashvili said “lots of money” had been invested in the Georgian politics recently, which would ”not be used for good deeds.”
Speaking in a live televised meeting with workers from railway carriage repair plant in Tbilisi Saakashvili, like in all of his recent public statements, focused on economy and reiterated that it would only be able to tackle the current economic difficulties in case of political stability in the country.
“I have noticed that politicians in Georgia, unfortunately, have lots of money – it does not concern politicians from my [National Movement] Party and I am monitor this – but lots of money became available in the Georgian politics from some sources and not for good deeds and it needs to be tackled,” he said.
The President did not elaborate on the matter, but his remarks seemed to be echoing those made by Parliamentary Chairman, Davit Bakradze, last week who said that Russia-based some former Georgian officials could finance triggering instability in Georgia.
“Indirect involvement in the country’s internal politics is more dangerous, than military aggression. This may be put into practice through direct financing of some political parties, as well as through financing of some politicians by those Georgians who are angry with the current authorities and who now reside in Russia,” Bakradze said and named ex-leader of Adjara Aslan Abashidze; Kakha Targamadze, the interior minister in ex-president Shevardnadze’s administration and Levan Mamaladze, he served as governor of Kvemo Kartli region under Shevardnadze’s presidency.
While speaking about the economic difficulties, President Saakashvili said on March 3, that next six or nine months would be extremely difficult, but the country could emerge even stronger if there was stability.
“The key task of our government is to ensure that on the one hand, there is stability and calmness in the country and not to let anyone undermine it, and on the other hand, to implement an anti-crisis plan,” he said.
“I want to call on all politicians and those having ambition of being a politician or an expert – let’s think less about our chairs and how to gain these chairs and think more about the refrigerators of our people and stability in our country,” Saakashvili added.
In an apparent reference to some opposition parties, calling for launch of street protest rallies on April 9 with a demand of the President’s resignation, Saakashvili said the politicians should understand that economy was very sensitive to political declarations
“They [politicians] do not think that while calling for something, the next day these calls result into losing of a job for a worker,” he said and again brought an example of Ukraine, where, he said, because of international political confrontation the country’s economy had “collapsed.”
“Our government’s major and the only concern is economy – how to preserve existing jobs and how to create new ones and how to protect our economy in the light of the global financial crisis… We have enough resource to save our economy. But stability and calmness is needed for that,” Saakashvili said.
“Today as never before we need the unity and dialogue with each other,” he added.
While speaking about the economy he said that the world was suffering with huge crisis with “American and European stock markets collapsing;” he also said that the financial sector in Georgia was also had difficulties with “thousands of people” losing jobs in the banking sector.
He said that he personally led the country’s “economic diplomacy” with foreign trips focused on attracting investments.
“Now most important is to bring money from where we are paying [visits],” he said. “I prefer to hold a dialogue with an entrepreneur, who will create 20 new jobs, rather than to meet the presidents.”
This post is also available in: Русский (Russian)