14.05.2009
May 7, 2009 (the date of publication in Russian)
Maxim Kalashnikov
GEORGIAN MOVIE
Endless frame-ups of attempts on officials' lives, feint coups d'etat and conspiracies make Georgian policy look more like a comedy than an action thriller
Reading official Tbilisi's revelations on the uncovered "military conspiracy" makes you choke with laughter. Traditions of rather rude and artless, truly eastern-style "movie" shows are typical for Georgian "independence" of 1991-2009.
"Scary" things became clear in the uncovered conspiracy of a tank battalion scale. A few evil pro-Moscow generals made up their minds to overthrow the Democratic President (Saakashvili), annex Georgia to the "Russia+Belarus" Union State, get Abashidze clan back to power in Adzharia and get $50 thousand each from Russian special services for that all.
That way for some reason I recall a passage from a Soviet humoresque, where a sly man demanded three rubles from a naïve invisible front fighter's spouse to bribe the US president. Of course $50 thousand is an amazing sum of money for mass electorate, led to extreme poverty. But wasn't this right the price set by Saakashvili's people to hire "rebels", who were promised generous reward for the participation in another political comedy?
It seems we observe a primitivistic "painting" in Pirosmani style in Mr. Saakashvili's interpretation. This unsophisticated eastern style means villains must be villains with no nuances and semitones, while heroes must all be luminaries of virtue. For some strange coincidence "crafty forces" had to liquidate everything Saakashvili used to boast about: the annexation of Adzharia, breaking with "imperial Moscow", plus bring back corruption and etc. That's really good that notorious Georgian conspirators didn't plan to turn off the electricity in the country – as Saakashvili shows off the renewal of normal energy supply every time he can.
In a word, we see a typical low-standard product for simple-minded electorate, which isn't burdened with extra intellectual abilities. Saakashvili simply needs to increase his popularity during the time of oppositional activity aimed on his soon retirement. That's why cartoon conspirators turned to be endowed with all possible evil intents. And of course, they were given a status of Russian hirelings.
For the sake of likelihood they could at least portray the conspirators as a military junta, willing to overthrow the Democratic President and create some political system in Pinochet style or like Argentine military oligarchy or recent generals' government in Pakistan. A junta, which would exploit nationalism and the desire to take a revenge for August defeat in Ossetia. But it seems that Saakashvili doesn't want to let somebody else use these revanchist intentions even virtually.
The present Georgia didn't give up old traditions of frame-ups and false pretence. For example, let's recall an attempt on the ex-president Eduard Shevardnadze's life in 1998. Evil terrorists centered their fire on the president's cortege. The head car with security was destroyed by a grenade launcher and the next-going Shevardnadze's Mercedes was covered with a shower of bullets. Of course, bullets made no harm to the president's car as it had anti-bullet armor and was in fact like a small APC. It's rather curious that people who attacked had no more one-shot grenade launchers of "Muha"-type or at least old RPG-7 to use it against the presidential car. That time the president's security got out of jeeps and began a fight against assailants. One of the killed terrorists had a Russian passport on the name of Dzangaliev – a Chechen from Dagestan Khasavyurt. The terrorist had kindly decided to take the document with him to a dangerous mission – Georgians must know which country threatens their leader!
That time the whole world laughed at this cheap frame-up. Shevi's pictures from some aid station, where he was sitting in a T-shirt with a black eye have been viewed all over the world. You can't help it: the one can do even more for the sake of saving his power.
Nowadays shows have become more complicated and large-scale. But in the essence they stay the same kitschy and rude. Maybe you, Mr. Saakashvili, ought to learn how to work better and more delicate? Or do you honor Hebbel's precept, according to which it's easier to make electorate believe in the most imprudent and shameless lie?
Number of shows: 2005
rating:
3.44
ENG 
