Using crisis as a cover

President Saakashvili and his administration have several times warned the population that we are heading towards a hard winter, and that the world economic crisis is to be blamed. Independent analysts however dispute this, and suggest that Georgia’s hardship is mostly the result of the irresponsible policy of the country’s leadership.

Economist Niko Orvelashvili suggests that over the last five years the Georgian economy has been gradually destroyed, and “luckily” on the fifth anniversary of the Rose Revolution the world economic crisis has provided a distraction, enabling Georgia to put all the blame on it. Analysts say that Georgia has not been involved in global world economic processes, therefore the direct impact of the world crisis should not have influenced Georgia’s economy so dramatically.

Soso Tsiskarishvili says that the authorities have no ability to suggest any kind of strategy to rescue the situation, and that’s why they cling to the idea of the world economic crisis, as a rescue kit for their survival, which allows them to justify their failures by quoting the crisis.

“Business is still the hostage of politics… the general phrase that “there will be difficulties” says nothing. This is the leadership preparing society for hardship and at the same time trying to justify itself by saying it predicted the difficulties,” Tsiskarishvili states.

Tsiskarishvili considers that the financial and economic crises should both be withstood more effectively. Tsiskarishvili blames former Minister of Economy Kakha Bendukidze for Georgia’s shortcomings in the economic sphere.