Who Started the Fire(s)?

Op-Ed

Another fire was recently added to the increasing number of fires in Georgian markets- that of Poti, the main port city of the country, where 2000 sq.m. with 50 shops and 144 stands was destroyed, leaving 450 people unemployed and, most importantly, impoverished. The cause of the first market fire has yet to be investigated and already another one has burned. This obviously increases the suspicion that the fires are being set on purpose.

Fires have often been used as a weapon in political and business disputes and Georgian history can serve up plenty of evidence of such. For example, we can recall the fire of 1973, when the Tbilisi Opera House was caught up in flames and destroyed, as well as the “Maud-Kamvoli” factory and a number of other textile enterprises that followed. The political motives behind these fires are still discussed and often linked with the idea that the fires were aimed at discrediting the newly appointed First Secretary of the CEC, Eduard Shvardnadze. But against who or what are the current fires set today when neither the Central Committee nor the First Secretary or the Soviet government exists anymore? The question might sound banal, as almost half a century has passed since those events and while the methods of battle and revenge should have become more refined, apparently nothing has changed.

The new season of fires officially opened on November 15, 2012, when Georgian Dream took over the government. From that day on as many as eleven markets have been damaged by fire and not once has investigation revealed the reasons. The vendors claim that the markets were set on fire deliberately by those who want to take ownership.

Political expert and former ideologist of the Georgian Dream, Gia Khukhashvili, does not agree directly with the idea, but thinks that each such event, be the reason for it neglect or something else, is still quite politically important for the government. “Aside from everything else, these fires are a heavy burden on the country’s budget because the loss needs to be compensated. The issue is not regulated as the objects are not insured. Since the Children’s World fire, this issue has been on the radar.

Each fire triggers doubts in society. A market was destroyed and something else is constructed on its place, which further enhances suspicion that the fire was deliberate. There is another case when the distribution of shares can be seen as a motive,” he said.

Fire is often a natural disaster and somebody might not think to look for anything political in the recent events, but, as they say, the devil is in the details. And details often speak of the opposite.

“Business disputes and the new distribution of property ownership is normal,” says Khukhashvili. “Especially with the changing of political power”.

This was the case under President Shevardnadze when property ‘gained’ via gangster means by the ‘Mkhedrioni’ gang was seized by his government and the Mkhedrioni “businessmen” evicted from the country. A completely different method was used by President Saakashvili, who quickly connected the rich people close to the Union of Citizens of Georgia party with the Prosecutor’s Office and handed the “orphaned” businesses to new owners, of course to those who were close to the National Movement. Bidzina Ivanishvili also has his signature method. Reality suggests that today we are witnessing the re-distribution of ownership on these oft-suffering market properties.

By this, I do not want to say that the Poti, Senaki, Zestaponi or the Tbilisi markets fell under the target of billionaire Ivanishvili. But it seems that there are some among the supporters of Georgian Dream who are interested in seizing these markets. The business of markets is not considered big business in Georgia today, however, the territories where these markets operate are valuable and land has become quite pricey…

Chairman of the Center of Public Control over the Activity of the Special Services, Besik Aladashvili, excludes the business interests of Bidzina Ivanishvili in the markets: “I doubt Ivanishvili has business interests that require him to set things on fire. The theme of Ivanishvili’s interests seems often artificially brought up by the opposition. Who would benefit from it? The local elections are approaching and an upset population obviously won’t vote for this government. Somebody from the government would have to have quite an original mindset to cut the branch he is sitting on. Therefore, this version is logically unacceptable,” Aladashvili declares.

Who is setting the markets on fire? Perhaps nobody, and it is something the investigation has no answer to yet. However, as they say, there is no smoke without fire and we can suppose that the process that began in November 2012 is approaching its finale. Before the investigation finds the modern Herostratus, we recall the Russian writer Bulgakov and his The Master and Margarita, where the characters walk around setting objects on fire.

Zaza Jgarkava