Saakashvili does not Need an Army, but a “Zonder Brigade”

Last week the President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili, in desperate attempt to establish order in the country, once again carried out reshuffle in the government. This time it is the Defense Minister David Sikharulidze and the Minister of Economy of Georgia that were dismissed.

For the post of the Head of the Georgia Department of Defense Mikhail Saakashvili did not find anybody better than 29-year-old Bacho Akhalaya, who previously was Head of the Corrections Department of the Ministry of Justice.

Such personnel policy of the president provoked the society’s great displeasure. Experts noted that the assignment of the former “head of death squards” to a position of Head of the Ministry of Defense shows that Saakashvili wants to set up a military dictatorship in the country.

“The president does not need an army, but a “zonder brigade”. “A sensible head of state that thinks of people, country and army would not make such a decision," said the leader of the Republican party of Georgia David Zurabishvili.

It is worthwhile noting that in the Georgian army repressions have already begun. Thus, journalists became aware that the Ministry of Defense of Georgia filed lawsuit against hundreds of former servicemen, accused of desertion by the Georgia Department of Defense in August 2008. The Ministry of Defense calls each former serviceman for payment of a fine at a rate of 30 to 40 thousand laris (about 25 thousand dollars). And in default of payment trial and a long jail term expect servicemen. Note that such servicemen number in the hundreds.

It was also quite predictable that such an appointment would arouse at least misunderstanding in the professional military environment. Thus, the first Deputy Minister of Defense of Georgia Vladimir Chachibaya and two deputies head of the national defense forces Joint Headquarters abandoned their positions in protest.

Georgia’s opposition also expressed sharp criticism to the address of Mikhail Saakashvili’s personnel policy. Particularly, one of the leaders of “New Rightists” Mamuka Katsitadze said that Akhalaya’s assignment proves the establishment of a police regime in the country.

“Saakashvili appears to have no ability to deal shortly with the people, opposition and now he decided to find additional forces in the name of the army, and for this purpose he needs such an odious figure in charge of the department, as Akhalaya,” he said.

“Instead of beginning to retrain the army and enhance its fighting efficiency, the authorities pursue a purposeful policy of its transfer to a police regime,” said the Secretary General of the Movement for the United Georgia Eka Beselia. “Akhalaya’s assignment proves that for Georgia’s authorities an army is not a country’s security guarantor, but a guarantor of Saakashvili’s protection.”

Another fact of dissatisfaction with the president Saakashvili, already on the part of simple people, is an incident in the west Georgian Ganmukhuri village, where an unknown person threw a shoe at the head of state and hit him right in the head.

People on the spot said that it was a thirtyish man, who received then a severe beating from the law and order service.

Judge by the late politics of Saakashvili, it becomes apparent that he is seriously concerned about his future at the post of a head of state and does his best to stay on his chair as long as possible by all manner of means.