The leaders of the Executive Government have failed to elaborate a strategic vision of their information policy – Archil Gamzardia

InterPressNews sat down with Communication Management specialist, Archil Gamzardia, to discuss the core messages of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s interview with the Kviris Palitra gazette.

-In his interview, Bidzina Ivanishvili has touched upon several acute issue of Georgia’s internal and external policy. I am sure this interview will remain to be a topic of hot debates for a long period of time. What could you say regarding the messages the most influential man of the country wanted to convey to the public?

-The aforementioned interview is really complex and profound. I would like to know Bidzina Ivanishvili’s motives that have pushed him to give this interview. I think that the desire to enjoy less publicity spurred our former PM to depart from politics; however, he failed to achieve this goal. The public has viewed Mr. Ivanishvili as true center of power so far. He has proven unable to stand aside and play a role of an observer. Having comprehended this, he must have decided to proclaim his stance and openly give his position regarding the current developments in Georgia. Thus, I think that he wants public to view him as a figure who is involved in the ongoing processes. Precisely for this purpose he must have given this interview.

As for the key messages he wanted to deliver to the public, one of them is linked to his relations with the Government. As you know, he positively assesses the steps taken by the executive government. His second message is connected with the President and his entourage. In his interview, Mr. Ivanishvili put it straight that he is negatively disposed to the President and his team. On top of that, from his words it’s obvious that he has the same negative approach towards our experts as well as the representatives of different media outlets. He focuses more attention on the journalists’ faults and drawbacks though. Only executive Government has deserved his goodwill and approval. Anyway, Ivanishvili tries to reassure the public that he has nothing to do with the Government as well as the Presidents Administration. He wanted the society to keep in mind that he does not preside over the country; he wanted them to comprehend that he is a mere observer like any of us. Ivanishvili simply wants to convince us that he is an autonomous figure who does not rule the state.

- In his interview, former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili expanded on the issue of our media outlets as well as journalists and has expressed his overt negative attitude towards the TV Company Rustavi-2, Maetro and Public Broadcaster. In his opinion, the Rustavi-2 TV Company is a biased organization which propagates the National Movement… In fact, the former PM has challenged the professionalism as well as integrity of the aforementioned TV Companies. How would you assess the steps taken by these media outlets as well as Bidzina Ivanishvili’s opinion regarding them?

- I want to point out that Bidzina Ivanishvili’s evaluations are conditional as well as the terms “right,” ‘wrong,” “real,” “unreal” he uses every now and again. These evaluations as well as terms are disputable. When Ivanishvili talks regarding a “right or wrong coverage,” he presents us with his own understanding of right and wrong coverage that may not coincide with the public’s views.

Ivanishvili is against putting taboo to the issue of patriarch or media outlets; he wants these topics to be hotly discussed; the only figure he wants to keep in shade is he himself.

I don’t know in what manner we can break taboo on media outlets and widely discuss this issue… When the former Prime Minister accuses the media outlets of being biased, he must know that in the modern world it’s a bit difficult to come across unbiased and objective institutions. You can find a more or less objective journalist though. Ivanishvili cannot simply get the specifics of the media outlets. When he states that the journalists refuse to cover a number of steps taken by the executive government, he must not forget that the Public Relations Service of the government is a body that must assume the responsibility of spreading information regarding their taken steps…

In my mind, by criticizing the media outlets, Ivanishvil wants to achieve the only goal – to make the journalists drop the practice of taking the Government to task. As you know, they focus all their attention to negative sides and weak points of the acting authorities. Thus, he wants the journalists to stop passing criticism upon the government and focus on other issues.

- Rustavi-2 knows perfectly well how to do a job even for the benefit of one political group in the political space in which the Government itself has refused to inure itself to a role of a qualified player. As for other media outlets, in order not to lag behind the Rustavi-2 TV Company, they follow in its footsteps cover the same topics…Against this background it may be more interesting to know why the Government has not elaborated its own information policy…

-- The acting authorities have not elaborated the information policy as well as the policy to communicate with the public. The Governments is simply getting a feedback from the people. It never informs its people regarding novelties… We have seen a number of positive reforms promulgated by the government; however, the people who were very well aware of the fact that these reforms were positive have still questioned their reasonability.

A key cause of all this may be the allegation saying that Ivanishvili has refused to hold his PR campaign. Unfortunately, the government cannot realize that it must keep in touch with the people, must actively communicate with them as well as hold an effective PR campaign. A core problem lies in the Government’s inaptitude to elaborate a strategic vision of an information policy and us it in practices.

-- Cultural expert Lela Iakobashvili has expressed an extremely noteworthy opinion regarding our Government as per which it has failed to create its image thus far and to create it needs to outline a conception as well as strategy. In her opinion, our policy as well as political figures lacks precisely this and without real resources it becomes ridiculous. I think that the Government has left to do much in this direction; otherwise, talks regarding its information policy will never end. In your opinion why the Government dismissed the remarks from the rather qualified cultural expert?

- In his interview, while talking regarding President Margvelashvili, Mr. Ivanishvili made it clear that he likes the people who agree with him without demure. It is true that he said this regarding Margvelashvili; however, in my opinion, these words are also applicable to other people. And you know this is not the ailment of the Government only; the entire Georgian public is afflicted with this disease -- we still cannot listen to a different opinion, keep our heads while doing this and cooperate with the people who hold different opinions. In order to prove this, I can bring an example of our compatriot and a successful scientist who now resides in the US and with whom our Government was once involved in cooperation… However, later they forgot him at all. Unfortunately, independent figures do not interest our authorities. And do you know why? These people dig their heels in and hardly make compromises. In other words, if the Government allowed the people like Iakobashvili to take active steps on the public arena, they would pose risks to themselves. Free and Independent people does not simply enjoy the Georgian people’s and, first of all, the Government’s affection here, in Georgia.

- Are your words in any way linked to Bidzina Ivanishvili’s words that some people must be alienated? Did in these words he implicate independent people?

- One thing is clear – the Government has distanced itself from the people who hold different views and who can be critical whenever they need for this emerges. They simply fear that tomorrow they may counter them. In the foreign countries, a government actively cooperates with its political rivals; however, in Georgia this practice has not been implemented so far.

- Don’t you think that this issue is more perplexed that it seems at first sight? Salome Zurabishvili has posted a rather long letter regarding a rift that has been incited between the President and the Government. In her words, the country is naked and disintegrated; on top of this, no one on earth knows where it is heading or by whom it is ruled…

- As a rule, Mrs. Zurabishvili makes right remarks and adequately evaluates the situation. Her words very often ring true. Unfortunately, a great deal of people as well as the representatives of the left-wing party do not deem Irakli Gharibashvili as a leading political figure in the country which is why they state quite often that they even have no idea with whom they cooperate. “A politician with whom we are involved in cooperation is not decision-maker; as for a figure who is a true decision-maker, we don’t want to cooperate with him,” these people say. It is true that according to Bidzina Ivanishvili, he does not interfere in political affairs but … this fact also puts us in an embarrassing position abroad – unfortunately, no one deems Irakli Gharibashvili to be a true decision-maker…

- In Ivanishvili’s words, corrupt schemes in Georgia are being hatched today too and precisely for this reason he plans to take more active steps on the public arena… he is expected to pass a more harsh judgment and criticism on our media outlets. Does this fact give us a foundation to think that Mr. Ivanishvili has “proclaimed a war” with our TV Companies? Even more, in my mind, this process has already started…

- This issue has turned out to be really vague for me, as Ivanishvili definitely is not a man who does not know with whom he must cooperate and against whom he must fight. However, as long he has already released such a statement regarding the TV Companies, we can presume that he has already drawn up some kind of action plan…

If the former Prime Minister really plans to be involved in confrontation with the media outlets, he must know that they will adopt a more negative stance against him. I don’t think that they will go that far, but still if this really takes place, we must remember that Ivanishvili is a businessman and taking well-measured steps is simply in his blood. I don’t think that in this particular case he will take incredible risks. He may have prepared some surprises for them…and these surprises are unlikely to jeopardize his safety.

Bidzina Ivanishvili may be simply planning to compete with the media outlets… allegations saying that he intends to “declare war on them” are really unfounded. As you know, while in office, our TV Companies have become much more independent bodies and they have exploited this freedom and independence with ardent enthusiasm…

Koba Bendeliani

InterPressNews