MPs Angered over Minister’s Assertive Speech

Education Minister Alexander Lomaia told lawmakers on June 29 that allegations of the embezzlement of GEL 40 million from his ministry were “absurd.”

Lomaia, an influential member of the cabinet, was summoned by opposition lawmakers after the Chamber of Control, a state audit agency, had, according to them, revealed cases of embezzlement of state funds.

Lomaia, however, was in a combative mood, attacking and mocking his detractors in an assertive speech, which angered many MPs, including Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze.

“After my testimony, which, I am sure, will burst our opponents’ allegations like bubbles, the public will ask the question: why are we paying the salaries of state officials if they waste their time discussing such absurd allegations,” Lomaia told lawmakers.

Although he said that he respected Parliament, he said: “I do not really remember if Parliament has ever used this privilege to summon an executive official for such a senseless reason.”

He said that questions, the opposition lawmakers wanted him to answer, could be divided into three categories: “legally absurd;” “unclear” and “flying elephants” – a reference to a joke.

He attacked the state audit agency’s report, saying it was marred by inaccuracies. “But even in this report, there is not even a mention of the embezzlement of GEL 40 million,” Lomaia said.

The Education Minister criticized the state audit agency for being staffed by many “non-professionals” who have been engaged in “corrupt deals.”

“I am glad that the ruling majority has recently decided to reform this agency,” he added.

Earlier on June 29, before his speech, Minister Lomaia sent a minivan to the parliament, loaded with 70 folders containing 20,000 pages of documentation. The papers, the minister said, showed the legality of his ministry’s spending. The move, however, was described by opposition lawmakers as “a stunt.”

His testimony triggered even more protest. Some parliamentarians from the ruling majority were also unhappy with the minister’s “mocking tone.”

“I prefer ministers to choose a different tone while addressing Parliament. No matter what kind of question is asked, they should be answered in a correct way,” Nino Burjanadze, the Parliamentary Chairperson, told Minister Lomaia.

Lomaia, however, responded by telling Burjanadze: “I respect you, Mrs. Parliamentary Chairperson, but let me disagree with you and say that I have chosen the form of delivery of my [speech] which I thought was right for this very particular moment.”
 
Burjanadze responded by again urging the cabinet member to be more restrained while “speaking inside the parliamentary chamber.”

“Ministers in the Saakashvili’s administration are not corrupt, but they are not polite either,” MP Nodar Grigalashvili of the ruling National Movement party said.

Lawmakers from the opposition parties were more vocal in their criticism.

“I have been a lawmaker for eight years, but not a single executive official has insulted me like you did today,” MP Zurab Tkemaladze, leader of the moderate opposition Industrialist Party, told the Education Minister.

Vice-Speaker of the parliament, Mikheil Machavariani, however, defended the minister. He told his fellow parliamentarians that Lomaia’s speech was a reflection of “the personal attacks carried out by the opposition against the Education Minister.”

“It is wrong for you [the opposition] to think that you can insult anyone without response,” Machavariani said. He did, however, urge the cabinet member to show more restraint.

MP Pavle Kublashvili of the ruling National Movement party thought that the minister had not been insulting in his speech.

“It was clear that it impossible to discredit the minister with such groundless allegations involving embezzlement of millions,” he said.

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