On October 4, 2007 was held the Meeting of the Government of Georgia presided by the Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.
In the beginning of the Meeting the Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili congratulate on behalf of the Government the justice minister Eka Tkeshelashvili with birth of her child and then addressed with a wordy speech to those attended:
Some minutes ago a TV company covered via TV the current processes at the Defense Ministry and criminal cases instituted in connection with them. This fact is very bad by its subject matters and very alarming.
How could this fact take place?
I would like to ask the interior minister, how could that Chikhladze, the so called "Wolf" appear in Russia today?
You should take into consideration that the case regards the chief of the Procurements Department of the Defense Ministry, the person who knows all secret information about the Georgian defense procurements appears directly in Moscow. What for do we need the intelligence if the main information center has left for Russia directly? They have known everything already and our defense sphere is open, I mean tactical and operative ways.
How could be come to such a situation where one of the top officials of the Defense Ministry who obtained the diversified information about armed forces was the representative of the criminal circles and was nicknamed "Wolf". In this case no concrete reprimand can be applied because it is grave difficult for all of us. These days all of us shall think about of what are we doing and what shall not we do. We have freedom. Just imagine what bacchanalia is now in the mass media of one of our neighbors - they know well and we, Georgians, are aware also that in every period of our history, at the very critical moment, in Georgia appeared those persons who pt the interests of the Georgian enemies higher than the homeland. Today the country has another Government and another motivation; this is another Georgia and we have made another decision - to bring our business to the end. If anybody of you has some "wolves", "bears", "jackals" and other "beasts" in you ministries, please, investigate this case! We will also investigate this case!
I have made a decision to establish the anti-corruption group under the President, which will be accountable only before the President and the chairperson of the Parliament. This group will subordinate neither to the Ministry of Interior Affairs nor to the prosecutor's office and Chamber of Control or any other department, but to the first persons of the country. Their main function will be to checkup and control all of us, including our families and friends.
We have got such a lesson which do not let us any alternative. In general, we have succeeded in the struggle against corruption, for example, we have detained many customs officials who have fingered twenty or thirty lari, but just in front of us were appropriated minimum thirty millions or more. If somebody has an illusion that by such blackmail he will transform us into a "banana republic", he shall forget such intention because nothing will come of it. We have neither oil nor gas. The world is full of corrupted governments, ministers and political spectrums. Our country had the most difficult startup and problems to overcome. You know the worth of our anti-corruption struggle and achieved to this level.
I visited Greece where I met the Georgian diaspore; they told me many interesting stories about the customs system. Unluckily, I shall say that at our Batumi custom terminal the officials are still fingering. These facts take place especially at night when the bus drivers carry unwashed, unshaven people in civil clothes bypassing the check-points and extort money from the. We are serving the goal to facilitate the relations between the state and people. I demand from all chiefs of the ministries to investigate the course of affairs in your structures in order to prevent the people's suffering and to stop bribery and corruption. The people's suffering is the indicator of corruption, where the bureaucracy is, the corruption reigns.
I like very much the efforts of the Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources in connection with firewood. We shall not exaggerate as we shall control some things but we shall not establish the fascist regime in order to enable people to have firewood for heating by legal way. This shall not mean that we shall open a place for money-making, so we shall facilitate all procedures.
Though according to the data for the first six months of the current year the economic growth rate of Georgia attained 12.5 %, nothing has been changed for the population, a certain family. How many times shall we speak that the economic growth rate in Georgia has increased, that is indisputable, for those families which are not directly engaged in the business and in the public service, this issue is very painful. This is the gravest issue for unemployed and socially vulnerable people and for those public servants whose ages are very low, e.g. for the teachers. The people shall feel that growth of the economic index in the country, they shall feel the inflow of money after the process of privatization and the ongoing changes. I have instructed the government on these issues not once.
Of course, many have been changed and are changing: the roads are laid, schools are repaired, the municipality have purchased good buses and all this is very good, but the fact also is that transportation by those buses is twofold expensive for the population. A person cannot leave with roads, repaired schools and hospitals only. So, we shall always
think what to do in order not to stop the development of national economy.
In connection with the rise in prices, especially for natural gas, electricity and flour, I would propose to provide the most vulnerable people - pensioners and teachers with the single compensation package - 50 lari for electricity cost and 50 lari for gas cost. Next year we will think about new compensations. In regions without natural gas, the population shall get the compensation sum for electricity and flour cost or we shall give them flour and vouchers for gas and electricity.
In principle, I am satisfied with the program of overcoming of unemployment. Indeed, this program had many defects but ten thousands people have found job and more - their own function. There were some violations in this line, abuse of official position, the former minister of labor and health got many reproofs but his mistakes shall help you not to commit them in future. I would like to propose you to draft a new unemployment program under which the people will get wages for 5-6 months. This program shall cover 100000 people. The previous program was estimated for some 50000 people. This is a very difficult process which shall be implemented step-by-step avoiding mistakes. Let's begin the process of registration of participants in this program in the nearest future, let's make the schedule, choose the optimal means for this in order to provide people with the temporary jobs under this program just from autumn.
I am very pleased to note that the Ministry of Education has opened the training centers. There are only some very good centers that is a drop in the ocean, we need tenfold more and shall increase their number. We shall tarin new teachers and involve in this program people of all ages.
Yesterday I inspected the new fast train station under construction on the airport territory. Many people who are working there exceed the age of 50 years and they work very hard and in good attitude. We shall help them to master innovations.
In Batumi, on the opening of a pharmaceutical factory I met a woman whose professional experience, as the investor mentioned, is equal to a half of the total cost of the enterprise. At Tquibuli mines are working engineers of 40-60 years old, at Rustavi metallurgical plant are many such specialists. We shall use those specialists in their fields, train new specialists and teach them new technologies.
If in Signaghi, which I visited today were not put the budgetary funds, the private sector would not be involved there. We are making the same in Kutaisi and Batumi. If not the state to start it up, the private sector will not continue it. We will support the private sector in all their fair businesses and will not let somebody to prevent this trend. We have transited to the next stage of development. Georgia shall transit to the mass stage of production. Our program of top priority is "One hundred enterprises for processing of agricultural products". Opening of those and many other enterprises requires the massive support form the side of the state. Today we declare a new stage of our economic course - the investments shall be put in employment, training of people and creation of new working places even for those people who could not feel the economic growth. I will ask the Government to intensify the work in this direction. The above mentioned measures require 100 million which shall be urgently allocated. The teachers will get vouchers from the 1st January. If a person is capable of working he shall work, and when attaining the pension age he shall be seen off to pension in the worthy manner. Those persons whose pension is equal to 500 lari (e.g. a former MP) will not get the 100-lari subsidy. This benefit will be applied to those people who have an ordinary pension/ i/e/ less than one hundred lari. We shall promote rich people but will not give them additional money. I believe the rich people shall help those who are in abject poverty in Georgia. This is very important.
I would also like to state that the visit of Secretary General of NATO in Georgia was very successful. Indeed, some people get annoyed by this visit but I have admitted a thought that where they are upset we are in a very good mood. If the ill-wishers of Georgia are nervous this means that Georgia steps forward a very good way. My function is not their consolation but my function is to make them more nervous. Our goal is to make our way to the peaceful integration of our country and to the integration in the Euro-Atlantic and other democratic structure. We shall accelerate the launched democratic reforms. The visit of the Secretary General of NATO was better than it was expected. However from this side a great work is to be done and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with other departments is effectively involved in this affair. In general this is our homework. To spite out enemy and in favor of our people we shall transit to a completely new stage of the international integration. Let's roll up one's sleeves and get down to work in a modal way. We are hearing a critic addressed to the grape processing enterprises. I would like to warn those people to whom we have allocated the state credit past year and have breached our principles - we have not give this money to them as a gift, now is not the Shevardnadze's time. They neither processed grapes nor returned money back. We will not allow any swindling. And I want to warn those people seriously. I understand that big harvest means less prices. I would like to thank those people who work well on the vintage. The mistakes will be committed yet but we shall do all our best efforts in order to prevent destruction of harvest. Those ill-wishers of Georgia are highlighting the vintage period most of all. Indeed, those single-cell inner traitors are well equipped but the Georgian people are wiser than they can imagine. You shall bring the vintage to the end in the business situation and we will help you as far as possible.
Press Service of the Administration of the President of Georgia