“Misha, go away!” has become the slogan of the ‘white revolution’. However, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili (photo) ignored it.
Photo: Dmitry Azarov
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“Russian tycoons build a lies factory in Georgia”
// Mikhail Saakashvili rallied the nation in the face of outer threat
The situation in Georgia heated up at the weekend. Opposition rally near the Georgian parliament demanded President Saakashvili’s resignation, which later grew into non-stop chanting, “Misha, go away!” The rally was called a ‘white revolution’. Opposition leaders offered to the Georgian president to choose between the fates of Milosevic and Ceausescu. The authorities seemed to have already lost the control of the situation. However, all that lasted until the president appeared on air of Georgian TV channels. Saakashvili accused the Kremlin of an attempt at destabilizing the situation in Georgia, and promised to regain control over Abkhazia and South Ossetia soon. Kommersant’s correspondents Olga Allenova and Vladimir Novikov bring the details from Tbilisi.
President’s Mistake
Around 10,000 people gathered on the square in front of the Georgian parliament on Saturday night. There was less than a thousand in the morning: the opposition announced break for the night between November 2 and 3. However, the rally of protest resumed on Saturday afternoon, and people filled the square. Music sounded in the intervals between speeches, and the crowd on the square sang national songs. If standing in the very heart of the crowd, it seemed the protesters had come there in a joint impulse to overthrow the odious regime. “Misha! Tsadi! Tsadi!” yelled the crowd. It means, “Misha, go away!” Everyone wore white armbands and white scarves. White became the color of the protest rally, and some Western TV channels hurried to call the gathering on Rustaveli Square a ‘white revolution’. “We’ll stand here till the end. Saakashvili ignores the nation, he didn’t enter into talks, and now we demand his resignation,” said Shalva Khachapuridze, oppositionist from the Georgia’s Way party.
“We offered dialogue to the president, but he didn’t enter it. Now he’s got one way – to the airport. He should now choose between the fates of Milosevic and Ceausescu,” said Kakha Kukava, another opposition leader.
“Tsadi! Tsadi!” chanted the crowd on the square.
“This November will be a good lesson for the authorities,” assured David Berdzenishvili of the Republican party of Georgia.
“Georgia without president! Free elections! Freedom to political prisoners! Saakashvili is afraid, and that’s why he isn’t coming out to the nation!” agitated Gia Tortladze, associate of Georgia’s former Defense Minister Irakly Okruashvili who fled to Germany.
If standing in the very heart of the crowd, it might seem the Georgian president is indeed afraid. So far, he has been just sending his devoted supporters, parliamentary majority leaders Maia Nadiradze and Giga Bokeria, to negotiations with the opposition and to press conferences. The talks led to nothing: Bokeria and Nadiradze assured the opposition that protest rallies and ultimatums to the authorities are useless because no authorities would want to look weak and make concessions. However, the president’s associates explained Saakashvili’s stand: “We cannot shift the elections to spring 2008. Important events which might threaten Georgia are to take place in spring. They are the elections in Russia and the NATO summit in Bucharest; the latter is very important for Georgia,” said Bokeria. His colleague in the parliamentary majority Nika Rurua agreed: “The overlap of Georgia’s and Russia’s election cycles is undesirable, because Russia becomes especially aggressive in that period.”
However, the protesting crowd on Rustaveli street, as well as throughout Georgia, did not hear these words. In the last few days, Imedi, owned by tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili, has been the most popular TV channel in Georgia. Its rating grew up to 99 percent. This channel only has been broadcasting live from Rustaveli for several days now. Imedi was closed down on Saturday in some Georgian regions (Ajaria, Western Georgia, and partially Eastern Georgia). Yet, it caused such a storm of protest that the opposition TV was back on air in a few hours.
Speakers at the rally urged not to fall for provocations. Opposition leader Gia Tortladze said there were provocateurs urging the crowd to storm the parliament. “Don’t listen to them! We came here to solve our problems peacefully,” he said.
Meanwhile, there have already appeared differences in the opposition camp. Freedom movement’s leader Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, son of Georgia’s first president Zviad Gamsakhurdia, fervently explains to the crowd that such regime can no longer be tolerated. “Carrying on the talks is meaningless. The authorities are incapable of it. Political power in Georgia now depends on one man, and he is paralyzed. Meanwhile, all others cannot make a decision, because they are puppets!” he said.
Later on, there appeared more and more drunken and aggressive people among the protesters. At the square’s edge, small groups were covertly pouring out chacha into plastic cups. Covertly, because the opposition prohibited drinking alcohol at the rally. There had already happened several small clashes among drunken people and the police, which forced the opposition leaders to announce: “Those who drank alcohol do not come to the square! Do not hamper our rightful cause!”
However, the orators were not heard at the crowd’s edge. Only “Tsadi!” shouted automatically was heard there. While bread and water were being distributed at the square, there appeared news that the police had allegedly stopped a car carrying food for the protesters somewhere near the square. No one knew whether it was true or not, but the crowd reacted furiously. The demands for the president’s resignation intensified.
“Misha’s biggest mistake is that he did not come out to the people. We could have forgiven him for everything else, had he just come out and explained his position. People of Georgia dislike it when someone despises them. And Misha despises us,” said Zurab Mikava of Ajaria.
Democracy Lessons
However, it turned out the same night that the Georgian president did not stay aside from the events. While the rally on Rustaveli was in full swing, Saakashvili organized a concert of Georgian stars at Locomotive stadium, where students, youth organizations of the National Movement, and soldiers were gathered. Vakhtang Kikabidze sang “Hello, Abkhazia” song while all state TV channels were showing that song’s video – full of sunshine, beautiful Georgian women with children and suitcases, who hurried to get on ships, trains, and buses setting out to resorts in Abkhazia.
Anyway, there were less people at the stadium than at the square. Perhaps, because Rustaveli was more breath-taking. Perhaps, because the authorities organized the concert in a hurry and simply did not have enough time to gather the audience. Perhaps, it was due to bad weather: north wind and cold air forced even the most active citizens of Tbilisi to go home. The rally on Rustaveli grew thinner as well: only those who came from regions stayed there. Actors of the Tbilisi Theater of Satire warmed up the people. They parodied politicians. One actor rolled his stomach out in parody of Georgian Reforms Minister Kakha Bendukidze. “Everything sells. I’ll sell everyone and I’ll sell you too,” he said in the minister’s voice. Everyone laughed.
“Let Russians take Bendukidze away. He is the Kremlin’s agent, he was sent here on purpose. He sold entire Georgia, even our strategic facilities – airports, railway, sea ports, electric network. And nobody knows to whom he sold it all. They say our electric network now belongs to your Chubais! Georgia’s got nothing left!” said Zurab Mikava.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted an official reception due to closing the NATO week in Georgia. Classic music was playing, diplomats were moving around, their glasses filled with expensive champagne, and it seemed to everyone that nothing at all was going on in Tbilisi. As if hundreds of cold and hungry protesters posed no threat to the country. Journalists asked Georgia’s Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili why he was so calm. The minister replied he had no reasons to worry. “What you see on the square by the parliament is democracy itself,” he said. U.S. Ambassador to Georgia John Tefft was optimistic about Georgian democracy as well. He explained that the opposition acts within the law, and that it is likely to reach agreement with the president. “The opposition united, became stronger, and it is very good for Georgia. It is a real lesson of democracy,” said the ambassador.
Democracy was thoroughly discussed on Rustaveli as well.
“You can’t have anything like that in Russia, it’s impossible. And we have freedom. Anyone can say what he thinks here. We all stand for democracy,” said businessman Ramaz Alpaidze.
“So, why hasn’t your president addressed the nation, if he stands for democracy?”
“He will speak, I’m sure. I’m not the opposition’s supporter. I believe the current authorities have done a lot for Georgia. Yet, I came here because I want the authorities to work even better, to lead dialogue with the people. And I’m not afraid to come here, while no businessman in Russia would come to a rally like that, because he’ll be immediately squeezed on,” said Ramaz.
“No concessions!”
Ramaz’ prognosis came true. President Saakashvili indeed delivered a speech. At 10 p.m. on Sunday, when thinner crowd was singing songs, shouting “Tsadi!”, and waving flags, he appeared simultaneously on air of all Georgian TV channels, including Imedi. They say it was the presidential press service’s requirement. Saakashvili’s speech lasted 40 minutes. It was emotional and persuasive. The president said that having rallies is normal for any democratic country and that as president he attentively listens to everything said on Rustaveli. However, Saakashvili said he also knows who and what for needs rallies like that.
“A lies factory was launched in Georgia. Those who launched it are the same people who had built a similar lies factory in Russia during the weak Yeltsin regime. Now these people, Russian tycoons, are building the same factory in Georgia. They want to infect us with the same disease of which Russia suffered.”
It was clear whom Saakashvili meant: there is just one Russian tycoon of the Yeltsin era left in Georgia. It is Badri Patarkatsishvili, who openly sided with the opposition. Saakashvili called him “a strange individual who appeared at the rally”, “an envoy of dark forces”, and “an instrument of Kremlin politics”. However, the Georgian president never named his opponent.
“Please notice why Russian TV channels broadcast live the rally in Georgia. They know that Georgians are a different nation that found enough strength to resist Russia’s aggressive politics. They imposed embargo to cow us, they closed borders, and now they want to show to Ukrainians, Moldavians, and all CIS states what might happen to those who do not want to live under Russia’s thumb,” went on the president.
Saakashvili reminded Georgians that their country had been a weak state, but is now strengthening and growing.
“We still have unsolved social issues. Yet, we get new workplaces, our budget grows, while Russia thought Georgians can only sing “Suliko” and drink wine. Meanwhile, we have created a combat-effective army, we are growing stronger,” said the president.
In response to the opposition’s chief demand, to hold parliamentary election when it is due by law, in spring 2008, the president replied toughly: “There will be no concessions!” He explained his hard line by the same Russian issue: the elections in Russia and the obvious recognition of Kosovo will create grave difficulties in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. “In Russia, both Chechen wars began before elections, so as to mobilize the society,” reminded Saakashvili. “So, we are afraid that our neighbor will play this card again. That is why I decided to reduce my presidential term and to hold presidential election together with the parliamentary one.”
At last, the president promised to “return a considerable part of lost territories soon”. He used that traditional passage in attempt to once again win the support of Georgian citizens. He might have succeeded. Anyway, many people realized that the ‘white revolution’ failed. No more than 300 protesters remained on Rustaveli Square for the night after the president’s address. The same night, ten people were taken to hospital from the square, diagnosed with “alcoholic intoxication”.
However, the opposition leaders did not give up. They said they now begin picketing administrative buildings, including the Interior Ministry. “We will make corridors of shame, so that officials have to walk through them to get to work,” said opposition leader Georgy Khaindrava, and promised to organize a new wave of protest in Georgia’s provinces.
Olga Allenova, Vladimir Novikov, Tbilisi
All the Article in Russian as of Nov. 06, 2007
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