At Press Conference PM Slams Media

PM Irakli Garibashvili criticized for number of times during his lengthy press conference on March 26 media outlets and journalists for, as he put it, distorting reality and trying to misrepresent situation in the country as “chaos”.

He spent first forty minutes of his two and a half hour long press conference speaking about projects “implemented successfully” by the government in broad range of areas from social, education and agriculture to infrastructure sectors.

“Regrettably, information about deeds done by the government is not properly delivered to the public,” he said.

His rhetoric on media, like on many other issues, was echoing the one of ex-PM Bidzina Ivanishvili, whose organization “2030” has launched a TV program on a television channel, GDS, ran by his son Bera, to, as he put it, help the society “see developments correctly.” Asked if he watches this daily TV program, Garibashvili responded: “Of course I watch it, especially on Sundays.” Sunday’s addition of the program features Ivanishvili.

During the press conference he complained that there was lack of reporting about some of the government’s projects, including on funding of more than hundred new agriculture enterprises across the country. He told journalists that such developments were ignored by media outlets because “you, or [media] owners, are not interested to know what is actually happening in the country” and are instead focused on portraying situation “radically different from the reality.”

“I do not mean personally you,” he told journalists. “I mean political forces, which are behind media sources.”

“We have an open government and we are not afraid of these lies and propaganda. We are an exception in the entire world as we do not control and do not have any television channel – that’s unprecedented. There are no powerful alternative [media] sources through which people can get information about the reality. Those perceptions created in the country, perceptions that an ordinary citizen, businessman or anyone else have are radically different from the actual reality,” the PM said.

“More than half of the population lives in poverty and in this already difficult situation… you – unfortunately, you are being used as a blind weapon – create completely different reality, which is not good for the country,” Garibashvili said.

“In the regions, wherever I go, people tell me ‘to silence these televisions’; I am responding that we can’t silence them because that’s the essence of democracy – complete freedom of media; but people’s order is to let them know what the government is doing for them.”  

“I am not saying that we are doing miracles, but I think we are doing good things; tell us if we are making mistakes and we are ready to apologize… But let’s not distort the truth. I know making all these appeals is pointless because neither Saakashvili nor others… will heed them anyway,” he said, referring to the ex-president; Tbilisi-based Rustavi 2 TV is a frequent target of criticism from the PM Garibashvili and ex-PM Ivanishvili, who call this television channel opposition UNM party’s “propaganda and lie machine.”

“This aggressive campaign and propaganda of lies to create chaos is temporary, it will soon be tackled and the population will know through our pro-active actions… what we [the authorities] are doing for them,” Garibashvili said.

When challenged by one of the reporters at the press conference over his remarks on journalists being a “blind weapon”, the PM said: “I am always saying that I may not like criticism from you, but we will do everything in order for you to have the possibility to criticize us even more.”

When a journalist from a television station in the town of Gori asked the PM about locals’ complaints that governor of Shida Kartli region was shunning away from meeting with local residents and was running private businesses instead of performing his official duties, Garibashvili responded: “It’s very funny. So the governor is so irresponsible that he is sitting in his office, building his own house, running businesses and hotels. You are a journalist… but you have no right to slander a person and level groundless allegations.”

“I would like the governor to file a lawsuit against you to make you apologize,” Garibashvili told the journalist. “You are accusing the governor of corruption; in a normal country you would have been sued and banned from [journalistic] activities with court’s decision.”

On economic situation, Garibashvili said during the press conference that depreciation of Georgian currency, lari, was because of external factors and not because of government’s policies. He also said that the government works efficiently and no reshuffle is planned.

Asked on a recent public opinion poll, commissioned by IRI, which shows decline in support for the GD ruling coalition, PM Garibashvili responded that he does not pay “special attention to ratings.” “Ratings are for idlers,” he added.

On opposition UNM party he said that it has turned into a “sect” and “is the most destructive force” in Georgia. Garibashvili said UNM’s protest rally in Tbilisi center on March 21, demanding government’s resignation, was “ridiculous.”

‘No Conflict with President’

On upcoming state of the nation address in the Parliament by President Giorgi Margvelashvili, scheduled for March 31, the PM said that the government members do not have to attend the event. President Margvelashvili has urged earlier the government not to snub again his annual address in the Parliament.

The PM said that under the existing constitution the president has much less powers and the president is no longer head of the executive branch of the government.

“In general we try to avoid pomp and therefore decided that there is no need for the government to be present at the president’s address,” Garibashvili said.

He said that it was “in no way a disrespect of institutions.” “Maybe we are wrong, but that’s how we think,” Garibashvili said.

The PM said that there is “no problem whatsoever” in relationship between him and the President.

“I have absolutely constructive relations with him,” Garibashvili said. “There is no conflict between us. We have normal, healthy relations as they should be in a democratic state, in parliamentary [system].”

President Margvelashvili reiterated his position on March 26 that the government should be present in the Parliament when he delivers his annual address. He said that it is a “tradition”, which has to be respected.

“I think that the Parliament has to invite the executive branch of the government… and then it will be up to them to decide whether they respect or not institutions and state traditions, which exist in Georgia,” President Margvelashvili told journalists on March 27.