Does Gubernator Pay Back to Children from Kvakhvreli?

“They have been promising us to build stadium for two years already but have not kept their promise yet. We know that the gubernator is paying us back because we defeated his favorite team from the village of Tkviavi in final match. We will train without stadium, sport shoos, balls and will win again. On August 23 we will celebrate our victory over the team from Gubernator’s native village,” said young people form the village of Kvakhvreli in the Gori District.

On August 12 2007 governors and deputies from district villages met Gori regional Gubernator Mikheil Kareli. Although the deputies and governors had much too ask for, only one of them, deputy from the village of Kvakhvreli, dared to demand something. He asked the gubernator to build stadium for the children in his village. “You and Saba Tsitsikashvili (Coordinator for Human Rights Center’s Gori Office) should build stadium in Kvakhvreli,” the gubernator replied.

Young people from the village of Kvakhvreli celebrate August 23 as a day of their victory. On August 23 2006 Kvakhvreli football team beat Tkviavi team with the score 3:2. This day was recorded in the history of the village sport with “golden signs”. The team, who had neither stadium, nor balls, nor uniforms, defeated very prestigious team from the village of former Defense Ministry, Irakli Okruashvili and Mikheil Kareli.

Kareli did not build promised stadium for Kvakhvreli residents, though he had promised them “If you help me to win the elections, I promise to build a stadium within a month…”

The elections were held and nine months have passed since then….

Before self-governmental elections, Gori Youth Organization arranged meeting in the office of “Tontio”. Current Director of Stalini Museum, Gela Naskidashvili represented the government to the meeting; he was deputy gubernator at that time.

Members of the Georgian Youth Organization claimed that the polls carried out in Gori showed that 80% of local population was not satisfied with the work of local authority. Representatives of the society stated that the government drew more attention to the development of the fields that is not too important for people, for example building fountains, stadiums, etc.

Gela Naskidashvili protested the statement. “We do our best within our power. For example we cannot repair collecting system for 10 000 lari. But we can build a stadium,” he said.

His statement caused concern of youth organization because it was strange how Naskidashvili could know that ten thousand lari was spent on stadium.

-Mr. Gela do they spend 10 000 lari on building the stadium?

G.N. –Of course they do. The illumination, asphalt and other stuff is necessary for the stadium and finally the expenses amount to 10 000 lari.

-I have a notification from the gubernator’s fund that is signed by you and it states that in 2004 your office spent 24 000 lari on similar stadiums. However, now you state that only 10 000 lari is spent on similar pitches while in official document you double the expenses?

G.N.- I cannot agree with you because 24 000 lari was spent on a stadium which has showers and changing rooms.

-Only one mini-stadium that is in one of Gori districts has shower and 24 000 lari was spent on it; it is noteworthy that the shower does not work. A stadium in the town of Kareli cost 24 000 lari too but it does not have a shower. So did you really spend 24 000 lari on stadium constructions?

G.N.- If notification states so it must have happened so.

-What would you say about one more official data where you have written that in 2005 you spent 64 000 lari on the construction of a mini-stadium. How would you explain it?

G.N.-Where was it written? Where do you find similar things? How do you create them?

-I found it on your office website where there is information with the title-“Expenditure of the Gubernator’s Fund in 2005.”

G.N. –Hm, er….It might have been caused by increased price on construction materials.

-When you built three pitches in one district and one of them costs 64 000 lari (for example you built those pitches in the village of Tiniskhidi, where Marlen Nadiradze, chairman of the Municipality, lives) did you ask local people whether they needed three sport grounds in the area? They might prefer to have two water basins or proper collecting system.

According to the spread information, discussion of the stadium issues was continued in the quarter of Mikheil Kareli.

The gubernator invited that time district governor Nukri Papunashvili to his office and resolved the problem. On the same day, Papnuashvili called the governor of the village of Kvakhvreli, Davit Aleksidze, and said that guberrnator was not going to build a stadium in their village and advised to build the one with the support of Saba Tsitsikashvili for 24 000 lari.

On the next morning Davit Aleksidze got in touch with the Human Rights Office and asked the journalist to forget the stadium and not to write anything on the situation.

Aleksidze and Temur Afkhazishvili, deputy from the village of Kvakhvreli, confirmed Kareli’s statement –“Let Tsitsikashvli build stadium for your young people,” though it was a joke…

Gela Naskidashvili spread rumors in Kvakhvreli that the pitch is not going to be built in the village because of Saba Tsitsikashvili who is preparing critical article about the situation and is investigating something.

All in all, children in Kvakhvreli do not have a stadium. According to one of the versions the pitch cannot be constructed because they could not find suitable place for it. Gubernator wants to build it on an open place where it can be viewed by tourists who pass by it on their way to Uflistkikhe historical monument.

Saba Tsitsikashvili, Gori