“Where are you going” the taxi driver in Tbilisi asks. As soon as he has the address he starts to go, at least to the direction. If he does not know the exact address, he keeps asking colleagues until he has reaches the destination.
Going around Freedom Square, day …
Georgians these days keep asking where they are going and what political direction the country is going to. But nobody knows. In the elections of 2012 Georgians voted for a peaceful chance. As a result President Michael Saakashvili will have to leave the government after eight years. That means a democratic change, the first real democratic change in a post-sovjet country. Bedzina Ivaniashvili and his followers will come to power. Until October the old and new head of state will be in an co-habilitation period. Most people are proud of what Georgia has achieved.
…and night, going around Freedom Square
At the same time people have lost feeling of where they are going, have lost orientation and keep asking the way. Where is the new elected Ivanashvili heading for? He wants to start talks with Russia to get new impulses for Georgia’s suffering economy. That is where he made his money In the 90-ies, a lot of money. “How close are his ties to Russia?” people ask, will he lead us the right way?
He says he is oriented toward Europe. But is he really? people ask. Why are there not more political heads from Europe to visit Georgia? Why is nothing happening when South Ossetians and Russians are changing the administrative border line, maybe even further into Georgia?
“What is democracy?” the taxi driver asks. “and where are we going?” he asks again. He turns to his colleagues. But this time also they don’t know. It seems nobody knows.
Lost between past and future
