SAAKASHVILI AGAIN CALLS FOR BELT-TIGHTENING
By Mzia Kupunia
The Messenger
Oct 26 2010
Georgia
“Every member of society should work to improve himself in order
to overcome poverty for good,” said the Georgian President, Mikheil
Saakashvili. He was speaking at the joint session of representatives
of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development and the
Ministry of Infrastructure on Friday. “No success can be achieved
in conditions of hopelessness and cynicism, the way we had for so
many years. People even stop dreaming. But now it is time to create
examples of success. Working on even micro-projects is a basis for
new achievements,” the President commented.
Although the world economic crisis is not yet over, Georgia has
some economic growth, Saakashvili noted, adding that the country
“still has a hard period ahead.” He said that increasing inflation
was a major concern as it could harm the most vulnerable part of the
Georgian population. “A mechanism should work at full strength in
order to create prospects for everyone. This should be done within
a year and a half,” the President noted.
Everything that is done should be followed by “multiple effect”,
Saakashvili said at the session. “We need more privatisation and to
attract more investment. We politicians should care about maintaining
political stability, so that there is no fear that tomorrow or the
day after someone will again decide to sit in a cage and intimidate
Georgian society,” the President stated, adding, “Our society has
overcome this stage for good. Now we should continue working in every
direction. We should be always in a good shape.” he added.
In conditions when the cost of food on the world market is increasing
and affects food prices in Georgia, hurting our population, people
might ask what’s the use of building a glass bridge in Tbilisi or
pouring sand on Batumi beach, Saakashvili said, explaining that the aim
of all these investments is to attract more investments in the future.
“For example, if we have 100 million and distribute this money to
the poor in addition to what they already receive, the money will be
exhausted in two months and Georgia will stay without any income in
the future,” he stated, listing investments, infrastructure, tourism,
Georgian products and new businesses in agriculture or other fields
as sources of income for the country. He pointed out, “We should not
forget that every newly constructed road, each tourist or each newly
opened business employs people.”
Everyone including the President and the Prime Minister should be
promoting Georgia, Saakashvili noted. “I am actually no longer of an
age to show off my muscles in the sun, but because it is something
that is broadcast in the international news, yesterday I jumped in
the sea and swam to show that we have prospects for developing coastal
resorts,” he said.
Saakashvili hailed the construction of a new road to
Samtskhe-Javakheti, saying that it has not only infrastructural,
but also political importance. “Javakheti is populated with ethnic
Armenians and Georgian Armenians; however they were completely isolated
from the rest of Georgia [due to road problem]. It was easier for
them to go to Yerevan [than to Tbilisi],” he noted. “Although we sent
Georgian language teachers to that region, the locals showed very
little interest in learning Georgian,” he added, reiterating that the
construction of new road helps the integration of the ethnic Armenian
population with the rest of Georgia.
Georgian Government members should “tighten their belts” in order to
“make a leap forward,” Saakashvili said at the session. “We have chosen
the right idea because whatever we are doing, we do it as best as we
can for future generations,” the President declared.
From: A. Papazian