Georgia’s Organizational Flaws – With Every Step Forward Comes a Step Back

OP-ED

Reading this article without an introduction may leave you, the reader, believing that the points raised are to show Georgia in a negative light. Pivotal to the points I lay out below, it is imperative to bear in mind that the only reason this is relevant is that the priority of the Georgian Government is to prepare the country for future integration with the West, namely, the EU. 

Whilst significant improvements have been made to the country’s notoriously post-soviet environment and attitude, it seems society here at large is perhaps a bit lack-luster to implementing the real social changes needed to compare the south-Caucasian country to its western neighbors.

The pieces of the puzzle of modern-day Georgia do not always fit. Non-smoking restaurants, newly renovated airports, a licensed-taxi system set to be put in place. But try complaining in a restaurant and you will often get the reply: “chveni brali ar aris” (it’s not our fault) – a response that would be shocking to a visitor from, say, western Europe or the US.

I recently took a trip with my friend and his family to a town outside Tbilisi. His son was due to perform in a concert to mark Georgian Independence Day. The trip had been ‘arranged’ well in advance, and parents were required to pay 40 Lari per child for the day trip. My friend and I had driven ourselves up there, whilst his son was with his fellow students in the minibus (no seatbelts!). We thought we’d make a weekend out of it and stay in a hotel for the night. It was flipping hot, 30+ degrees. We arrived in the center of town to a completely unorganized ‘agenda’ – with tens of other schools set to perform in the concert, yet no-one knowing in what order or even what time the event was supposed to start. Marvelous. Now imagine 100 kids in that heat, no shade, waiting for the start of a concert that could have been at any time of the day. If we were grumpy, one can imagine the frustration of the kids.

Now, one may read this and think ‘Well, this is a local matter, it doesn’t affect tourists or visitors to the country…’ yet, isn’t the whole point of integrating Georgia with the western world supposed to be that people are better informed, with events such as this running more smoothly? The town was full of tourists hanging around for the event. Imagine asking an official what time the event is supposed to start, with the reply being “Sometime today.” *Insert laughing smiley*. About 10 minutes’ notice was given that the concert was to commence, with many parents missing the start as they had taken their kids somewhere out of the sun to cool down. This was just the start of the unorganized chaos that the day would go on to become. Afterwards, the school had decided to visit numerous local landmarks with the kids for educational purposes. Skip ahead three hours and they had eaten nothing since the morning.

Listen, this may sound like a fuss over nothing but, I’m a Georgian. I lived out of the country for many years and, upon arriving back here, it is beyond frustrating to see so many vital improvements being made, and yet the fundamental, decade-old lack of information that was so apparent here whilst I was growing up had not changed at all. We, as a country, need to learn how to adequately PREPARE and INFORM.

Another example: May 25, the day before Independence Day. Rustaveli Avenue and Liberty (Freedom) Square are shut off entirely. Ok, I get it, 100 years of Georgian independence, that’s something close to our hearts and a huge reason to celebrate. Yet, little to no information was offered to people regarding diversions, which part of the city to avoid due to heavy traffic, nor were people told to WALK instead of using their cars – What did this result in? Pandemonium on the roads. 35-40-minute journeys that would otherwise have taken 10 minutes max. Why does this happen?

10 years ago, the aforementioned points would not have been an issue, as little improvements had been made to any other aspect in terms of western integration within Georgia. But how is it possible that we have moved so far ahead yet are still lagging so far behind?

By Sally Mulanova