PM: Rumors about My Resignation have Grown Tiresome
“I have been hearing these questions for 18 months now: When are you leaving? Today, tomorrow, or yesterday? Can’t you see I am still here? These are just rumors that have grown tiresome. Do you have to ask me every time I meet with the press whether or not I'm planning to resign? It is a joke,” Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said in response to journalists' question regarding his possible resignation.
He also answered a question about an alleged confrontation between him and Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of the Georgian Dream Ruling Party.
The Head of Government noted that some media outlets need just an excuse to spread rumors: Whether or not Giorgi Gakharia attended the Political Council’s last meeting.
“Irakli Kobakhidze is an honorable leader of Georgian Dream and my good friend, so these speculations and rumors must end. We are serving the same cause together. Apparently, some media outlets need just an excuse to spread rumors: Whether or not Giorgi Gakharia attended the Political Council’s last meeting. I may or may not attend meetings of the Political Council, depending solely on my schedule. Sometimes the Political Council convenes at short notice, but my daily schedule is planned way in advance. There is much to do in the country. Let me put it simply. For a whole week now, I have been trying to do my best to visit schools, because the pandemic has taken a heavy toll on our children. They must return to classrooms as soon as possible to receive normal education. On the other hand, their families, ordinary Georgian households, are struggling to make a living—we are in the middle of an economic crisis. And we must work together to overcome it and yet the media have only one question in mind: Who attended and who did not the Political Council’s meeting. I cannot attend because all these issues must be solved. I may attend one meeting but skip another,” the Prime Minister emphasized.
“I may be able to attend one meeting but skip another. There is another thing worth noting. Polarization of this magnitude and boycotting and political hooliganism—things like “I will pay my bond, but I may not”—must end once and for all, because the country is facing serious economic, security, and lately healthcare challenges, and it is impossible for one political force to deal with these problems on its own. This political polarization and hooliganism, and such senseless actions, eventually pose a threat to the country’s security, because healthcare and economic issues, and the problem of returning our children to classrooms, involve security problems, problems of tomorrow, and instead of gossiping and hurling hooligan-style threats at one another, like the one about paying or not paying one’s bond, we should better fathom the meaning of the mandate granted to us by our citizens in elections. We must enter where politics is made, and we must join forces to work for our country. I enjoy full support from my team, and this support gives me the strength in effectively solving the problems above. You may think that I do not feel it. And I view it as gossiping. But I have full support from my team, and so does Irakli Kobakhidze as Party Chairman enjoy my and the entire executive branch’s support. So let it go,” he added.
The PM also answered a question about opposition members’ calls to disobey the regulations enforced throughout the pandemic.
He noted that this is political hooliganism perpetrated by those unable to create normal political content and engage in meaningful debates.
“Some are engaged in political hooliganism in Georgia, others from abroad, but that does not matter. Our citizens see and evaluate it all. Our citizens know well who cares about them and what caring for people stands for. And all that was reflected in the elections. Political parties with enormous ambitions barely garnered more than 2 or 3%,” Giorgi Gakharia said.
Gakharia pointed out that the polarization in the political field threatens the country’s future and security.
“The biggest problem is that we are wasting time. Unfortunately, the current polarization in the political field poses a problem to the country’s future and security. Everyone must make an extra effort and share the responsibility, and if they are foolish enough not to share the responsibility, they should at least pay attention to those who voted for them. They must enter and be where politics is made, not in the streets,” the Prime Minister stated.