Nonprofessionals – Reason of the Parliament’s Ineffectiveness

The Resonance; The Dilis Gazeti

(Tbilisi. November 12. Civil Georgia) – The Parliament chose its chairman three days ago. Today’s press talks about changes supposed to occur in the legislative branch and assesses its work.

Election of Nino Burjanadze on the post of chairman made a new power balance obvious. MPs and experts started talking about establishing a new parliamentary majority. “Formation of a new majority mainly depends on how well Zhvania’s team (Zurab Zhvania – former Parliamentary Chairman supporting Burjanadze) will bargain with MPs”, the Resonance says. It presumes that posts of heads of the committees will be the main subject of bargain.

According to the faction New Right Wings, the parliamentary majority may indeed be created but it will not be united around ideas, its unity will depend on high positions (the Resonance).

The Dilis Gazeti assumes that this Parliament, which was called two days ago, is very weak and the draft-laws it has passed are insufficient and ineffective. The reason is the fact that MPs are not professionals. Only about 50 MPs are professional lawyers, economists and political scientists out of 235 while these professions are vital for effective functioning of the Parliament. 

When forming party lists attention was paid not on knowledge, intellect and beliefs of future MPs but on their devotion to the party leader, skills to make intrigues, money transmits to the party account. This is the reason causing low level of the Parliament’s activity. 

“As a result of completing the Parliament in such way lobby oppositions, systematic betrayal of principles and passing or dropping a bill for mercantilist reasons occurs all the time”, the Dilis Gazeti reports and goes on to say that Georgian legislative branch serves to personal welfare of some individuals and not to supreme interests of the country.

Regrouping of political powers occurred several times had a negative influence on the Parliament as well. In September when old factions were rapidly falling apart and new were created actually caused it paralyze. The paper calls the fact tragicomical.

The Dilis Gazeti supposes that electing a new Parliamentary Chairman does not mean that the Parliament will be radically modified. “There is total chaos and anarchy in the legislative branch and long time is needed till it finally develops and matures”, the paper says.