Press Scanner
Complied by Liana Bezhanishvili
Tuesday, November 3
November 7 was a very bad day for the country and firstly for the Government
Kviris Palitra: The opposition is preparing to commemorate 7 November 2007 in various ways. How will the Government greet this day and does it have any sense of self-criticism about what happened 2 years ago?
“Certainly we have. 7 November was a very bad day for the country and firstly for the Government. On that day the Government had a complicated choice and made a serious decision. This day is a lesson for the Government that it must ensure that events develop in such a way that it never again has to make the same decision as it did on 7 November 2007,” says David Bakradze, Speaker of Parliament.
“The 7 November is a bad day in Georgian history and it is natural that the Government greets this day with the same feeling. I hope this year’s spring has convinced the opposition that it is not acceptable to hold protest actions to change the Government. Our society has good experience and remembers what promises these actions start with and what results they actually bring,” Bakradze adds.
Goga Khaindrava: If we had had money we would still have been holding protest actions
In an interview with Mteli Kvira ono of the leaders of Defend Georgia Goga Khaindrava states: “Saakashvili and the National Movement have killed the Georgian political scene. That is why people are disappointed now. They wonder whether it is worth engaging in political fights in these conditions.
“I think that the Government cannot be changed by elections at the present time. I respect the forces which consider it is possible to remove Saakashvili through elections now but I think they are wrong. The civil disobedience theory is very good, but I am interested in how this will be conducted. If we do not contest elections or hold protest actions what does civil disobedience actually mean: should we all stay at home? We must undertake civil disobedience supported by mass protest actions, we must compel the Government to hold free elections,” stated Khaindrava.
“It is very important to have finance. There is no money available or we would have continued to hold actions until now. Everything is closed to us, everything! What money was spent in April? The cells and the stage…but it seems that now we do not have that money available either. I do not know exactly has money and what the financial condition of the opposition is but Defend Georgia does not have any money,” Khaindrava said.
“More than 700 people have been arrested, assaulted and threatened by this Government. Do you think this is a mark of success? These violations accumulate and will blow up in the Government’s face in the end! Saakashvili considers that the only way to save himself is to destroy things. Can you imagine that if Saakashvili lost the elections he would just go? Where should he go? If the National Movement folk are defeated in the elections will they go home? Do they not know what they are expected to do? They have mobilised all the resources they can. Evil powers support Saakashvili’s regime in Russia and the USA,” Khaindrava states.
Kviris Palitra: The opposition is preparing to commemorate 7 November 2007 in various ways. How will the Government greet this day and does it have any sense of self-criticism about what happened 2 years ago?
“Certainly we have. 7 November was a very bad day for the country and firstly for the Government. On that day the Government had a complicated choice and made a serious decision. This day is a lesson for the Government that it must ensure that events develop in such a way that it never again has to make the same decision as it did on 7 November 2007,” says David Bakradze, Speaker of Parliament.
“The 7 November is a bad day in Georgian history and it is natural that the Government greets this day with the same feeling. I hope this year’s spring has convinced the opposition that it is not acceptable to hold protest actions to change the Government. Our society has good experience and remembers what promises these actions start with and what results they actually bring,” Bakradze adds.
Goga Khaindrava: If we had had money we would still have been holding protest actions
In an interview with Mteli Kvira ono of the leaders of Defend Georgia Goga Khaindrava states: “Saakashvili and the National Movement have killed the Georgian political scene. That is why people are disappointed now. They wonder whether it is worth engaging in political fights in these conditions.
“I think that the Government cannot be changed by elections at the present time. I respect the forces which consider it is possible to remove Saakashvili through elections now but I think they are wrong. The civil disobedience theory is very good, but I am interested in how this will be conducted. If we do not contest elections or hold protest actions what does civil disobedience actually mean: should we all stay at home? We must undertake civil disobedience supported by mass protest actions, we must compel the Government to hold free elections,” stated Khaindrava.
“It is very important to have finance. There is no money available or we would have continued to hold actions until now. Everything is closed to us, everything! What money was spent in April? The cells and the stage…but it seems that now we do not have that money available either. I do not know exactly has money and what the financial condition of the opposition is but Defend Georgia does not have any money,” Khaindrava said.
“More than 700 people have been arrested, assaulted and threatened by this Government. Do you think this is a mark of success? These violations accumulate and will blow up in the Government’s face in the end! Saakashvili considers that the only way to save himself is to destroy things. Can you imagine that if Saakashvili lost the elections he would just go? Where should he go? If the National Movement folk are defeated in the elections will they go home? Do they not know what they are expected to do? They have mobilised all the resources they can. Evil powers support Saakashvili’s regime in Russia and the USA,” Khaindrava states.