Ivanishvili Meets Businesspeople

Ex-PM and founder of ruling GDDG party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, met on Saturday senior executives and owners of major Georgian business groups, asking them scoldingly if they were “doing enough” ahead of the elections to “explain” to the public all those positive changes that occurred in the country over the past four years.

He said that over the past four years, the government turned the situation towards the positive direction and outlook is now promising, but because it is impossible to make an economic breakthrough in a short period of time “the large part of the society finds it difficult to analyze” the existing situation properly.

“But you are the ones who can see these [positive changes],” Ivanishvili told businesspeople during a meeting in a large conference hall of one of Tbilisi’s downtown hotels. “I think that you should do your utmost, if you really like the existing situation, to maintain it and to further develop [it]. So I go back to the same question: are you doing more? You are required to do more as you see more, you know better and make the right analysis… Or are you not different from masses?”

He said that although he tries it through his TV appearances, he’s been at pains to explain to the public that the country is on the right track. Twice a week Ivanishvili sits down with local journalists in various parts of the country for interviews aired live by GDS TV, owned by his son Bera Ivanishvili.

Ivanishvili said that very often he has to ask voters for “patience”.

“Why? Because a very large part of the society remains as poor as they were four years ago and it is very difficult for them to assess properly those [positive] changes that took place [over the past four years]… There are many people who did not have a job when the United National Movement [UNM – now the opposition party] was in power and they have no job now either,” Ivanishvili said.

He said it is difficult to explain to these people the progress made by Georgia through citing various international indexes and reports, which show positive trends, including in economy.

“60,000 new jobs have been created” over the past four years, he said, “but creation of 600,000 new jobs is needed for a breakthrough.”

He said that it is not the government’s fault that this breakthrough was not possible in four years; he added that it requires time to address this problem and that’s why he is very often calling on voters for patience.

“You are the ones, who can assess it the best of all,” Ivanishvili told businesspeople. “You can do it, but my question is: are you doing this? How active are you? Are you trying to explain [to voters] and contribute to elections?”

“I have never asked this question to businesses… But I want to ask it now and you too ask yourself how active are you and whether you are trying to explain to your staff or broader public those changes that took place in our country. Or you think that nothing much has happened and there is nothing to explain and there is no need for any extra activity from your side?” Ivanishvili said, adding that he’s “just asking”, not complaining to businesses.

He also asked businesspeople what would have happened to them if UNM had won elections in 2012.

“Is it difficult for you to analyze what would have happened if that model of governance had been preserved?” Ivanishvili said. “You would not have survived.”

“That’s why I am asking you: are you explaining to at least your own team, your staff, and do you think that what we have now is much better than we had before? And if you think it is now much better, are you telling this [to others]? Bourgeois revolution in France was made by businesspeople… Are you active in this regard or are you waiting for someone else to do something? Ask yourself this question,”

“Do not think that I came here to criticize you. Business is doing its share of work and look at how successful is Georgian economy against the background of what is happening in the region,” Ivanishvili said. “I want to thank you and do not think that I am here to criticize.”

But then he again continued by asking the same question: “Two weeks are left before the elections. Are you assessing the situation as I see it and consequently are your taking relevant actions to explain it to your staff, neighbors, relatives at least?”

He then spoke briefly about his take on political landscape, criticizing those who are “in the middle” – using a term through which he usually refers to those who are neither GDDG nor UNM supporters.

“Some are persistently trying to look for a third force. Those who are in the middle – most of them are the most harmful, are saying that ‘Saakashvili’s government was bad and [PM Giorgi] Kvirikashvili’s government is bad too and we have to find someone third’ – they are drawing such simplistic parallels,” Ivanishvili said.

Along with business executives, audience in the hall also included several opposition politicians, among them MP Davit Onoprishvili of the Free Democrats and MP Zurab Japaridze, leader of NPC-Girchi, which is part of Paata Burchuladze-led election bloc State for People.

“I hope you will criticize me if you did not like my stance or if you think that my question is not reasonable… There was really a huge change in Georgia over the past four years,” Ivanishvili said. “Of course we should be critical of the government and we should be vigilant… but let’s also be objective and help the society to make the right assessment.”

After Ivanishvili’s 18-minute opening remarks, which were aired live by Imedi TV, the meeting continued behind the closed door.