GEORGIA'S KAKHETI REGION: UNM DOMINATES, JOBS THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 000345 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/25/2018 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL GG SUBJECT: GEORGIA'S KAKHETI REGION: UNM DOMINATES, JOBS THE ISSUE Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES A.I. KENT LOGSDON FOR REASONS: 1.4 (B ) AND (D). ¶1. (SBU) Summary: During a February visit to the eastern province of Kakheti, Georgia's version of the Napa Valley, both the Deputy Governor and Christian Democratic Movement (CDM) opposition members stressed that the region's primary political concern was the local economy, specifically the creation of good jobs. The Deputy Governor detailed the federal government's plan to bolster infrastructure in this agriculturally rich area. President Saakashvili's National Movement (UNM) is the dominant political party in Kakheti, and its influence is further strengthened by its control of how and where government funds are spent. The Christian Democratic representatives decried this patronage system and said it severely hindered party development. Nevertheless, the Christian Democrats are dedicated to making a statement in the upcoming local elections in 2010 even though they face an uphill battle. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Embassy Comment: Kakheti, like Georgia's other regions, is largely administered by a Tbilisi appointed Governor who has almost exclusive control over the budget. This situation allows regional Governors to run a powerful patronage machine and limits elected local councils' ability to participate in major regional policy decisions. Because local councils lack significant decision making or budgetary powers, there is little public policy debate or local accountability. On the flipside, the system has cut bureaucratic hurdles, virtually eliminated previously rampant local-level corruption, and allowed for more efficient use of limited government resources. Vesting so much authority in one official makes it sometimes difficult to tell where the line is between generally acceptable hard-elbow politics and blatant undemocratic practices. Although there has been some public discussion of direct elections of mayor and regional governors, neither opposition leaders nor the public seem to view a re-thinking of the current system as a priority. End Comment. UNM and CDM Agree: Economy is Job One ¶3. (SBU) Poloff spoke to Giorgi Sibashvili, the First Deputy Governor, about the Kakheti Regional Administration's plans. Sibashvili, like the Governor, is a UNM political appointee. Sibashvili said the Administration's priority is to upgrade infrastructure to accommodate large-scale investors, hopefully in agribusiness. (Embassy Note: The GOG is planning to upgrade with World Bank assistance the Vaziani-Gombori-Telavi road which would reduce the current four-hour travel time from Telavi to Tbilisi by as much as an hour. End Note.) Kakheti has traditionally been the wine producing cradle of Georgia, and Sibashvili said wine production is a potential growth area along with wheat, sunflower, maize, and fruit products. Sibashvili noted that with road, gas, and water system upgrades, Kakheti could be a more attractive place for investors. Other potential areas for investment are the development of limestone and marble quarries. Sibashvili said a large portion of the work force is unemployed or under-employed. The main occupation in villages still remains small scale and subsistence farming. Sibashvili explained that infrastructure projects would provide a substantial number of construction jobs which are desperately needed in the local economy. Sibashvili expressed his hope that investment funds would follow the infrastructure projects, providing Kakheti with some large scale, institutional employers which would vastly improve the Qscale, institutional employers which would vastly improve the economic outlook of the region. Sibashvili indicated to Poloff that despite the grim budget outlook and worldwide recession, his budget bolstered by foreign aid would be sufficient to fund their ambitious infrastructure programs. ¶4. (C) Nino Lashki (Chairman) and Vano Dalakhvradze (Executive Officer) of the local CDM chapter also argued tht the economic situation in Kakheti was difficult. Lashki and Dalakhvradze agreed that investing in infrastructure was the preferred economic policy, although they lamented the fact UNM officials controlled all the purse strings. Lashki and Dalakhvradze said, balancing economics with politics, the UNM would be able to just purchase votes through government coffers by being the largest employer in the region. Dalakhvradze said the biggest issue the region faces is how to make the villages productive and to find markets for their goods. Both criticized the GOG for paying lip service to development, but not providing the necessary upgrades the villages need to be competitive. They are taking a wait-and-see attitude towards outside investment, preferring to believe it when the see it. Both stressed that investment would be good for their party, providing alternatives to UNM controlled government employment. They argued that decent paying jobs in the private sector would allow more people to freely join their ranks without risking potential retribution. TBILISI 00000345 002 OF 002 UNM, CDM, New Rights/Republicans Are the Only Options ¶5. (C) Besides the UNM which dominates the region, the only other active parties according to Sibashvili, Lashki, and Dalakhvradze are the CDM and New Rights/Republicans. New Rights/Republicans have a small office, but rarely if ever engage with the public and never outside of Telavi according to Dalakhradze. Lashki said it is difficult to organize anything in the winter because, besides their meager government provided office in the Administration building, they have no place to congregate and cannot afford to rent larger spaces. Dalakhvradze explained that since they are not provided phone or other services and cannot afford them, the office is basically a desk or two and a few chairs. (Embassy Note: The CDM representatives were too embarrassed to show Poloff their GOG provided office even after being specifically asked to see it. CDM leaders have noted to Emboffs on numerous occasions that they are financially strapped in the regions and alleged that businesses are nervous about providing support for fear of Government retribution. End Note.) Sibashvili had little to say about the opposition, but brought up the fact that the GOG provided an office - saying, he much prefers they carry out their business in the Administration building rather than agitating around town. When asked, CDM representatives said they had only informal contacts with the local administration because Telavi is a small town and everybody knows everybody. Sibashvili made the same point as a positive, saying the Administration has more than enough contact with the opposition because in Telavi everybody knows everybody. It is clear, no formal relationship exists between the authorities and the opposition. ¶6. (C) The CDM representative has divided the region into nine districts, each with its own precinct leaders. The CDM stressed that they have been making gains but with difficulty. Lashki and Dalakhvradze say they have little money to do much beyond visiting villages, listening to concerns, and explaining the CDM agenda. In the absence of national elections, few people are interested in politics. Local residents said they are happy with the CDM leadership in Tbilisi, but understand they too are cash-strapped and lack an independent source of wealth or financing. Their immediate goal is to win seats on local councils, though they readily acknowledge any victories would be largely symbolic as the councils have little formal decision making power or budgetary resources. They believe that simple inertia as well as fear keeps their ranks from growing. Because the UNM-dominated GOG distributes resources and coveted jobs, few people see any reason to publicly oppose the UNM and join an opposition party. Others view UNM membership as a way to get a relatively lucrative position locally. Additionally, according to CDM representatives, many or most residents of Kakheti are largely apolitical or mildly political and are generally satisfied with the UNM. One CDM representative said that, among those who are interested in politics, they get a lot of quiet support. When asked to go public, however; these "supporters" say they do not want to risk the potential negative consequences. New Elections - Not Interested ¶7. (C) Both the CDM representatives and Sibashvili said there is little local interest in new elections. Sibashvili explained he gets constant calls about managing municipal issues -- not complaints about the electoral code or early elections (he explained to Poloff that he had just gotten a Qelections (he explained to Poloff that he had just gotten a call from a constituent who claimed his neighbor would not pay for damage to his fence after his neighbor's tree fell on it. The caller wanted the Governor to facilitate just payment immediately). The CDM representatives largely agreed, saying they had not seen much if any appetite for new elections noting that calls of elections were largely a Tbilisi phenomena. Perhaps the most interesting part of the exchange occurred when Poloff asked the CDM representatives if they could name any positives that have happened in Georgia since the UNM took over. Both Lashki and Dalakhvradze surprised themselves with the length of their list. Another CDM representative began a long diatribe about how awful President Saakashvili was, and how oppressive the UNM was only to be interrupted by Dalakhvradze. Dalakhvradze stated that the CDM member sounded like the rest of the opposition. He continued to make the point that if you can only offer that Saakashvili is bad, you'll never convince people to vote for you, much less agree to new elections. LOGSDON