Aleko Elisashvili: Goka Gabashvili was brought into politics by Zurab Zhvania but today he keeps silent and has not asked even a single question about Zhvania’s suspicious death

Eliso Chapidze: Their change of opinion was surprising for me but absolutely clear.

Jaba Khubua: The father and son Gabashvili‘s great desire to be constantly in Government has delivered us the catastrophe which everyone sees very well.

 

The Gabashvilis, father and son, seem able to serve in every type of regime and maintain their positions in any Government. Here journalists assess the Gabashvili’s chances of continuing to hold high positions in future Governments, their skills and what the “secret of their success” is.

Aleko Elisashvili of Kavkasia TV says that the father and son are distinguished by their ingratitude.

“Kote Gabashvili was ungrateful to Eduard Shevardnadze and Goka Gabashvili to Zurab Zhvania. Shevardnadze appointed Kote Gabashvili as Mayor of Tbilisi and made him a politician. He did everything for him but Kote Gabashvili repaid him with ingratitude and opposed him without any real cause. Goka Gabashvili was brought into politics by Zurab Zhvania but today he keeps silent and has not asked even a single question about Zhvania’s suspicious death, which was in fact murder.

“The means they use to remain in Government constantly are unacceptable. Everyone knows this very well and I will not say the “word” by which they hold their posts out loud. I very much want to see a situation where no politicians who do this “word” exist in Georgia.

“If the Government resigns these two politicians have no chance of staying in office. I do not know what kind of Government we will have in future, but I hope that such persons have no more chance of holding political office here.”

The Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Rezonansi newspaper Eliso Chapidze says that the radical transformation of the Gabashvili’s political views makes her wonder.

“I remember that Kote Gabashvili was in power even in Shevardnadze’s period. He held important political posts, he was Mayor of Tbilisi during a very hard time and even Ambassador to Germany. It was therefore surprising when father and son Gabashvili became the basis of the new Government. Their change of opinion was surprising for me but absolutely clear.

“I have not noticed any special diplomatic abilities in Kote Gabashvili despite the fact that he was involved in trying to resolve the conflict with Abkhazia. I respect him because of his age, but I think that such people will do everything they can maintain their own welfare while in Government and use their political adroitness to serve themselves and their own interests rather than the country.

“Goka Gabashvili was one of the producers of the film about 7 November in which it was declared that the opposition parties were agents of the Russians, something which has not been proven. I think that such advancement through relations between father and son must end. I would not have been against Goka Gabashvili if he had achieved everything by his own efforts and education, but I think his successful political carrier is due to the fact that he is Kote’s son.

“I think they both have chances of further advancement even if the current Government resigns. I have observed journalists who were active in both periods and found that the people who felt more comfortable during Shevardnadze’s period have nevertheless found a common language with Saakashvili’s Government. I think the Gaabashvilis will also find a common language with a future Government.

“If a person’s main aim is to be in Government he will always share a new President’s declared official course. When you are a humanist but do not care about people shot in the streets and keep silence in order to keep your position of course you will always have a chance of being in Government.”

Jaba Khubua of the Asaval-Dasavali newspaper thinks that during last 20 years the situation in Georgian politics has been very strained.

“A popular saying goes, ‘a father will not take his son in hand’. However it seems this does not apply to the Gabashvilis. In this case the father has not only held his hand but delivered him to Parliament. The father and son Gabashvili‘s great desire to be constantly in Government has delivered us the catastrophe which everyone sees very well. I apologise to my readers for taking such a tone, but when talking about such politicians as these two there is no other way to talk.

“The only thing they have become known for is continually holding high positions in Government, regardless of what complexion that Government has. I do not think they achieve this through their education and wit. If they manage to fit like corks into any Government it is because every bottle has its cork. This is a very real issue as The Georgian Times knows best of all! GT was the first newspaper to let the world know about former Governor of Imereti Getsadze sitting on a ‘bottle’, was it not?

“I do not think the Gabashvilis will be in the new Government when Saakashvili leaves. If they are I will say that father and son Gabashvili do not adjust to any Government, Governments adjust to them! I do not see anything positive in them. The only positive thing about Goka Gabashvili is that he is famous Georgian composer Levan Lagidze’s grandson-in-law. Goka married Levan Lagidze’s grand daughter, though how positive fact is for the composer’s name and memory I cannot say!”