Politics and Patience
I haven’t written much about Georgian politics. One reason is that it's all quite new to me-but I am learning. Most interesting has been learning more about the Rose Revolution and the Presidencies of Shevarnadze (bad) and Saakasvhili (much better). On the government website you can read the following about the current President:
He quickly became a popular minister who resonated with the Georgian people. He used public transportation and walked to work through Tbilisi's streets, while other ministers rode in cars with dark windows. He became known for frequently stopping on the streets to hear the complaints from average citizens and then for arranging solutions while other officials had no such contact at all.
According to my boss, none of this is true. It is true, however, that when protests broke out against President Shevarnadze in Tbilisi, Saakahsvili led throngs through the doors of the Parliament, lifted his hands to show he was unarmed, holding in one hand a red rose, signifying what became the rose revolution. The whole ordeal was nonviolent:
He pushed into the building, but was forcefully ejected and the furious crowds pushed their way at the building, lifting their roses… What could have turned violent, did not. The Georgian guards surrounding Parliament had become familiar with the protestors over the weeks, chatting with their fellow Georgians for days and nights; the protestors had even fed the young guards when the government had made no such provision. At the moment the crowds began to surge, the guards first resisted, but then, they began to disobey their shouting superiors. The young Georgian security guards stepped aside and led by Saakashvili, the people of Georgia entered their Parliament…
This was 2003. Since then, Mr. President has worked hard to stamp out corruption, replacing Ministers in the government just about every year, and hiring young people. Roads and buildings are being repaired (somewhat). There are new fountains outside the parliament and the Philharmony… According to those who have lived here a while, the city has received a great facelift. Everybody agrees it is better than under Shevarnadze, who was corrupt and a disaster for the country.
Many, however, say that what the government is doing now is just show—“it is like advertisement.” Things may look good on the surface, but inside… Salaries are still very low—a nurse may earn 25 dollars a month, a teacher may earn the same or a little more. The international community is trying to solve the problems but it is not easy. The World Bank is rebuilding schools, the Millennium challenge Fund is rebuilding roads, the UN is doing health, education, agriculture programs. The country is full of NGOs doing small business development etc etc. But the results are not always entirely clear. And the international community, particularly the large donors, feel obliged to work with the government. This often means that things take forever and that people do not really feel the outcomes of what is being done.
The UN people say, “we are guests in this country, so we need to cooperate, we need buy-in”. That is all well and good. But we are not just guests of the government? What about the people? Shouldn’t they be convinced that what is being done is of value? I am not saying that nothing good is being done. The work on infrastructure is very much needed, as on agriculture, teacher training… But it takes so much planning, so much so-called “technical assistance” and “capacity building” and "strategic planning." Most of all, it takes a great deal of patience...
He quickly became a popular minister who resonated with the Georgian people. He used public transportation and walked to work through Tbilisi's streets, while other ministers rode in cars with dark windows. He became known for frequently stopping on the streets to hear the complaints from average citizens and then for arranging solutions while other officials had no such contact at all.
According to my boss, none of this is true. It is true, however, that when protests broke out against President Shevarnadze in Tbilisi, Saakahsvili led throngs through the doors of the Parliament, lifted his hands to show he was unarmed, holding in one hand a red rose, signifying what became the rose revolution. The whole ordeal was nonviolent:
He pushed into the building, but was forcefully ejected and the furious crowds pushed their way at the building, lifting their roses… What could have turned violent, did not. The Georgian guards surrounding Parliament had become familiar with the protestors over the weeks, chatting with their fellow Georgians for days and nights; the protestors had even fed the young guards when the government had made no such provision. At the moment the crowds began to surge, the guards first resisted, but then, they began to disobey their shouting superiors. The young Georgian security guards stepped aside and led by Saakashvili, the people of Georgia entered their Parliament…
This was 2003. Since then, Mr. President has worked hard to stamp out corruption, replacing Ministers in the government just about every year, and hiring young people. Roads and buildings are being repaired (somewhat). There are new fountains outside the parliament and the Philharmony… According to those who have lived here a while, the city has received a great facelift. Everybody agrees it is better than under Shevarnadze, who was corrupt and a disaster for the country.
Many, however, say that what the government is doing now is just show—“it is like advertisement.” Things may look good on the surface, but inside… Salaries are still very low—a nurse may earn 25 dollars a month, a teacher may earn the same or a little more. The international community is trying to solve the problems but it is not easy. The World Bank is rebuilding schools, the Millennium challenge Fund is rebuilding roads, the UN is doing health, education, agriculture programs. The country is full of NGOs doing small business development etc etc. But the results are not always entirely clear. And the international community, particularly the large donors, feel obliged to work with the government. This often means that things take forever and that people do not really feel the outcomes of what is being done.
The UN people say, “we are guests in this country, so we need to cooperate, we need buy-in”. That is all well and good. But we are not just guests of the government? What about the people? Shouldn’t they be convinced that what is being done is of value? I am not saying that nothing good is being done. The work on infrastructure is very much needed, as on agriculture, teacher training… But it takes so much planning, so much so-called “technical assistance” and “capacity building” and "strategic planning." Most of all, it takes a great deal of patience...
posted by Kristel at 2:13 AM
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