PM Announces the End of Black Jeep Era
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Monday, Februuary 5
(TBILISI) - Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili says “the black jeep era” must end in the government of the country, referring to using huge, black jeeps by state officials and government representatives.
Kvirikashvili claims that he and many in the country are “irritated by the cars.”
Instead the PM offered the ministers to drive ecologically clean vehicles.
“I want to address ministers and the head of the Government administration. It is time to do away with the vehicles and move on to ecologically clean cars,” Kvirikashvili said.
The PM stated the change should start on the ministerial level and then expand to the rest of the government.
The PM added that the change required financial resources and the replacement process would be carried out gradually.
Kvirikashvili stated that the only exception to the black jeeps could be the meeting of foreign delegations with such cars.
The opposition says that the prime minister made similar statements in the last year. However, no steps have been taken to the direction so far.
The United National Movement and the European Georgia opposition parties say that the Georgian Dream government is mostly focused on “benefiting themselves”, thinking less and less on the Georgian people.
The opposition party members believe it will be hard for many government members to refuse luxury.
Kvirikashvili made the statement in the wake of the Japanese government’s gift to Georgia- 96 hybrid and electric cars.
The cars have been handed to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The PM stated that the Japanese government planned to gift the cars to the Cabinet of Ministers of Georgia. However, he and the ministers agreed the Interior Ministry to have the vehicles for the better work.
