They are assaulting our members, says Alasania

The leader of the Alliance for Georgia, Irakli Alasania, has claimed that members of his party have been physically assaulted by people acting on behalf of the Government. He says that he has reliable information about this and that this might cause confrontation between the people and the Government.

Alasania is asking the President to prevent such attacks occurring, warning him that he is “playing with fire” by allowing such things to happen as they might provoke an extremely negative reaction in society.

Manana Nachkebia, another Alliance for Georgia member, said that there might be a repeat of what happened before the May 21 elections, when United Opposition activists were beaten. The Government might attack ordinary party members rather than the leaders directly. “The information we have came from state offices, from people who understand that they work for only one person, Saakashvili,” she added.

On March 17 the Alliance officially opened its third and fourth Tbilisi branches, in Krtsanisi and Vake districts of Tbilisi. Irakli Alasania declared that on March 18 he will meet with all branch representatives and officially instigate branch development. He added that this is the way the party will build a strong connection with the people. “The people should know that everything we propose will create peace and stability in the country,” Alasania said, accusing Saakashvili of using power for his own ends and not to serve the people.

Also on March 17 another leader of the Alliance for Georgia, Davit Gamkrelidze, stated that they had managed to develop their work plan in a short time and it is now ready for presentation. “You will all be witnesses of how the whole of Georgia will gather in our party hall tomorrow. Every region and every town of our country will be represented here on March 18. We will declare how we will organise the plebiscite and what our plan for the future of Georgia is,” Gamkrelidze stated.

Gamkrelidze also talked about other plans of the Alliance and said that on Friday, March 20 it will open another office, this time in Kutaisi, and hold a meeting with local citizens there. “This process will continue. We will visit every region of the country and tell the public all our future plans,” he added.

Prior to these statements, on March 16, Irakli Alasania suggested that those who are indebted to Georgian commercial banks and can’t repay their loans in time should form a Bank Debtors’ Committee. He explained that the Alliance had plans for improving the banking situation in the country through the internationally-approved method of the Government paying off or suspending problematic loans. He claimed that by doing this the Government would improve the balance of the banking system in the country and give the banks the opportunity to be more active. Alasania was also sure that this plan would help ordinary bank depositors too, as they would be given more time to sort out their affairs and then repay their loans.

The leader of Alliance for Georgia stated that this banking sector initiative had been presented to the Government but had received a negative reaction. He said that if the Government won’t take this advice the Alliance will implement it after it removes the Saakashvili regime. “Our aim is to give relief to people in conditions of such financial pressure as they are living through now, to help their financial rehabilitation and protect the interests of commercial banks at the same time” he added. Alasania says that this is why debtors should unite in a Bank Debtors’ Committee, which will make the Government serve the interests of the public, even if only on one occasion or over one issue.