Georgia decides to save on ministers

The Georgian government might reduce the number of its members. The First Vice Prime Minister of Georgia and Minister of Energy, Kakha Kaladze, said in the framework of the optimization of public spending that in the future several ministries may be abolished.

"In the future, an optimization of the government may take place. However, it requires analysis and a realistic assessment of the current situation," Kaladze said.

The President of the National Bank, Giorgi Kadagidze, also proposed ​​reducing the number of ministries, Sputnik Georgia reports.

The head of the Institute of Management Strategy, Petre Mamradze, in an interview with a correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza said that "it is a necessary measure." "The 'Georgian Dream' coalition and the government had to think about it immediately after coming to power, but they have increased their income, spent huge sums of money on buying luxurious cars. And now, when the lari has depreciated and inflation is growing, we hear statements that it is necessary to reduce the budget by 300-400 million GEL. Of course it is necessary," he said.

"We need to take much more decisive measures to reduce government spending as soon as possible, because we have 20 ministers, including the prime minister, in such a small and poor country like Georgia. A number of 12-13 ministers would be enough," the expert believes.

According to Mamradze, they must abolish all redundant departments, "Look, Saakashvili created the ministries and positions of so-called state ministers to appoint his close associates to them to ensure the consolidation of his personal power. For example, the State Minister of Georgia on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration is a completely artificial structure, as well as the Ministry of Civil Accord and Reconciliation. Where have you ever seen or heard that the ministry was created so that Merabishvili and Adeishvili, who served as the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor General under Saakashvili, could wash their hands of what's happening in the prisons and say that it's not their job," he complained.

"Refugees and the arrangements for them. '23 years have passed since the war in Abkhazia, so there's nothing to do there, and if you have any questions, you can ask the Ministry of Health, Welfare or Economy. The Ministry of Energy is also under question. We only consume, so it could be a part of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development," the analyst added.

The head of the Center for Global Studies, Nana Devdariani, noted that, "it is necessary to reduce bureaucratic costs within these agencies". "As for the merger of some ministries, of course we need to think about it, based on the actual situation. But it is necessary to reduce these costs," she said.

According to the expert, a number of agencies which are prime candidates for abolition can be already called. "For example, the Ministry of Punishment Execution. Although there is a very effective minister and the situation of prisoners has seriously improved, however, these talks are continuing and the minister himself has no objection," the analyst assumed.

However, she believes that "the abolition of several staff units won't seriously affect the situation". "We need to reduce the bureaucratic costs, primarily due to bonuses and allowances. This is a huge amount," Nana Devdariani concluded.