The President of Georgia visited the Imereti Region today. Mikheil Saakashvili spoke about infrastructural and social projects implemented since the Rose Revolution and future plans during the meetings held with local residents of Tskaltubo and Bagdati. The Head of State familiarized locals with the government’s action plan and focused attention on the rehabilitation works that are going to begin within 2-3 weeks in Bagdati and Tskaltubo.
Mikheil Saakashvili also touched on the problems that have accumulated in the region over decades. Out of these issues he distinguished gasification of villages and cities, installing counters, paving central and internal roads, and implementing social programs. The President also spoke about common insurance. According to him, the number of the insured has increased 100 times since the Rose Revolution; from 25 thousand to 2.5 million. The Head of State also touched on the 1000 GEL voucher and pension increase issues.
“We are giving every family 1000 GEL vouchers so that nobody has problems with paying electricity, natural gas, and other communal bills. There are families which do not have such problems, but every family can use them. Next year, every pensioner will have a 100 USD pension package. I promised you to do this in the past, but that’s when the war and thousands of other troubles appeared. Every pensioner will have a 100 USD pension package and insurance, and I am very proud of that. Employment of people under 60 is also a big problem. First of all, we are creating the lists of unemployed persons. Social agents enter each family so that we are able to employ each person. Whoever we employ must also have insurance. We are doing everything gradually so that everyone is socially protected in Georgia.” – noted Mikheil Saakashvili.
The President of Georgia also touched on the issue of the elections. As the Head of State noted, the government should never be taken over by the people who are corrupt and connected to crime, and society should make a fair choice.
“These elections are also a moment of truth for us. It is very easy to say: it is true that this government has defeated corruption and Europe has admitted that we are the most non corrupt country in Europe; it is true that the government has defeated crime, according to the studies of Europeans, we are the safest country in Europe; it is true that this government has built roads but there are still a lot of roads to build, including places where roads have never existed; it is true that this government is building modern schools, giving laptops to every child and teaching them foreign languages; it is true that they are building universities; it is true that Georgia has settled on the world map – it is good that everything has been done, but let’s now let them go and bring somebody else because people are still in poverty and maybe someone else will be able to take care of us better. The situation is very specific – this is a choice of each person. Whatever I named we have achieved though the hardest work, fighting, and provoking many enemies. 8 years ago there was such hopelessness that I could not have even imagined achieving half of it. The society must ask itself a very important question today: Is our society and Georgia better than it was 8 years ago? If the answer is positive then you have to let us create even better conditions for you so that each family benefits more from what we have built. We should not give the government to the corrupt, criminals, and thieves. The people who come to you with a list of things to demolish do not love Georgia. The people who tell you how we must surrender to our enemy do not love Georgia! We must not surrender; we must develop instead so that we can stand up straight, return everything, and restore everything. I am sure of this” – stated the President of Georgia.
Mikheil Saakashvili arrived in Imereti with the First Lady of Georgia Sandra Elizabeth Roelofs.