Georgian media review (June 5-10)

The appointment of Georgian ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili as governor of the Odessa Oblast remains one of the most speculated-about topics, particularly concerning the fate of Saakashvili's United National Movement.

'The power in the party belongs to Bokeria, Gabashvili, Nadirashvili. They get the television broadcasting, the real power is in their hands. Saakashvili has been silent for quite a while and has not been commenting on the resignation of the four members of his party. In a television interview after his appointment as governor of Odessa, he did not said a word that his allies could not stand the pressure and were bribed by Ivanishvili, as Gabashvili and Nadirashvili keep repeating constantly. He said that it was normal, someone leaves the party, someone enters. It means that Saakashvili has not supported Bokeria and Gabashvili, and Nadirashvilim has not shared their version. It proves again that he is uninterested in the National Movement. At this stage, he thinks that they are good for nothing,' opines Petre Mamradze, an expert of Alia.

'That is the situation today, clearly, Saakashvili will leave the post of the party's chairman, because he will not retain Georgian citizenship. In any case, I hope it will be so. The National Movement will split into several parts. The remaining part may as well consolidate into a team. Be aware that Giga Bokeria cannot be a political leader, even his own supporters do not regard him as one. At this stage, there is no other leader in sight, that is why the story of the nationals ends', he summarized.

Journalists remain interested in former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, the so-called 'Grey Cardinal' of Georgian politics. Material dedicated to his current role in the life of the country keep appearing in the press.

'Denying that Ivanishvili's influence on the government is great is pointless. But I do not see a problem with that. The government should take his opinion into account, but there is no need to take his words as a directive. The danger is not in that someone takes Ivanishvili's opinion into account, it is that someone absolutely thoughtlessly perceives it absolutely as a mission. We get the following picture, whatever goes wrong, it is always Ivanishvili's fault. The government feels very comfortable in this situation. It was convenient for them to blame Bidzina Ivanishvili for every action. I am confident that Ivanishvili was not outright demanding in relation to the majority system, but someone takes advantage of depicting it that way. In general, I want to say that the problem lurks in the government, not in Ivanishvili,' Kviris Palitra quotes Giya Khukhashvili.

'Paradoxically, it is clear that the government is aligned with the National Movement on this issue. When the National Movement says that Ivanishvili is responsible for everything, government officials are not even trying to refute that. It is unjust towards Ivanishvili, because I am confident that he does not interfere in all the decisions of the government. I am certain that many government officials would place the blame on Ivanishvili should a crisis happen. I also know that many members of the 'Dream' say that behind the curtains. It has already happened: members of the Free Democrats started talking about informant governing after leaving the coalition, although we have not heard anything of that ilk before,' he noted.

Journalists have not been unaware of the recent discords between Georgian politicians and the Interior Ministry.

'Georgia has ganged up on the International Monetary Fund again. Last time, in 2010, the previous government tried to break ties with the IMF, which was criticized by Prime Minister Nika Gilauri. Kakha Bendukidze had earlier called the IMF 'an idiotic organization' consisting of socialists. Now, Bidzina Ivanishvili says that the IMF has discouraged him from arresting the President of the NBG, Giorgi Kadagidze. Besides, the majority of MPs note that the Fund is brusquely interfering in the internal affairs of the country. Another attack on the IMF started in the country after IMF officials had demanded that the government and parliament refrain from criticizing the NBG,' Rezonansi reports.

'Paata Sheshelidze, the president of the New Economic School–Georgia, notes that the policies of the IMF, World Bank and analogical organizations often contradict the interests of a country with developing economy. In his words, Georgia can pursue an absolutely independent policy, free from advice from the IMF,' the resource says.

'The Monetary Fund played a certain political role when the lari was put into circulation. Then, the proposal based on the principles of the IMF would have doubtlessly been better than the illegal policy of Shevardnadze, but it was not perfect,' the paper quotes him as saying.

The jury system has been a subject of intensive discussions lately. Debates around it have been provoked by a clamorous trial.

'The jury could not come to a decision in the case of Lasha Makharadze's murder. After about 12 hours of deliberation, the jury could not come to a verdict. The judge declared a session to form a new jury, which will be held on June 10 at 12.00pm. After that, the hearing of the case will start anew. Should the new jury fail to render a verdict again, Giorgi Okropiridze, suspected of the murder, will be absolved. Giorgi Okroporidze, however, may be released from jail earlier, because his 9-month term of imprisonment expires on June 12,' Rezonansi says.

'In such a small country a jury will never function well, because everyone is a relative of everyone. Any two people will definitely find a common friend. Georgia lacks the democracy and supremacy of the law for the system to justify itself,' the source quotes Temur Naneishvili.

'Besides Georgia, wherever there is a jury, they are trying to find a way to get rid of the system. About 4-5 years ago I learned from competent lawyers visiting foreign states that the system had not justified itself anywhere. From the very beginning I have been speaking against it. I knew that it will not work out in Georgia. Not only because everyone knows each other, but also because the system itself is inefficient. There is no need for experiments. The faster it gets abolished the better, We should engage in qualitative reforming of the courts instead,' Nelli Koviashvili reiterates the expert.

Georgian media are also concerned about such an important field as education. In light of the upcoming Unified National Exams, journalists are curious what specializations current enrollees choose.

'Economy, business, law, psychology and journalism are the professions Georgian enrollees chose in most cases. The reasons for such a choice, according to specialists, lurks in the attractiveness of high pay, should they be employed. This year over 40,000 enrollees are preparing for the exams. Less than a month is left until the Unified National Exams, but the leading profession and higher education center this year are unclear,' Rezonansi reports.

'Economics has been popular in the last years. This year, the enrollees have not made the final choice, it changes every day, but the rating of professions remains the same in recent times. Top of the list belongs to economic courses. Some of the most popular professions include law, psychology and journalism. Usually, the enrollment of the specializations is very intensive. It should be noted that the demand for engineering and agrarian specializations and the natural sciences – chemistry, physics, biology – has risen in the last years. That is, the reason for the interest in the specializations is motivated by implementation of tuition-based faculties. The prestige of faculties usually changes every year. For example, 10 years ago, the law faculty was all the rage, but it has been outpaced in popularity by the economic one. Interest in information technologies has gone up too. Concerning the universities, I will name several: the TSU, the Ilia State University, the Free and the Technical Universities. The main factor in the choice of an education center is the number of spots and the cost of education. Usually, state universities are picked more often because studies there are cheaper. But I would outline some private universities: the Free University, the Caucasus School of Business and the Caucasus University,' the paper quotes Iva Mindadze, deputy director of the National Center of Exams.

Simon Janashia, an education expert, has a different opinion. 'The popularity of a faculty can only be motivated by high pay in case of employment, not high demand for a specialization. Two factors are applied when a profession is being chosen: high pay in case of employment and a high chance of being employed. But there are certainly other interests. Georgia has high salaries in the economics sector today, that is why the specializations are popular. Due to the high number of specialists in the sector, employers are searching for higher-skilled personnel. A bachelor's degree is not enough for education, that is why many take master's courses. But there are several categories too, some take master's courses, some do not work according to the profession and work in a different field.