Zoo Station

Georgia is a fascinating country, which has been at the cross-roads of history for centuries. First came the Romans, then the Persians, Arabs, Turks and then the great waves of Mongols. The country then fell under the Ottomans and the Persians before finally being absorbed into the Russian empire and Soviet Union subsequently. Georgia became independent in 1991 and was then ruled by Gorbachev's foreign minister, Edouard Sheverdnadze and his incredibly corrupt government.

Georgia has had a great turnaround since the Rose Revolution of 2003 brought Mikhail Saakashvili's United National Movement to power. Since Saakashvili took over, Georgia's GDP has grown from $3 billion in 2003 to $8 billion today and is expected to double again in the next 3 years. Nonetheless, Georgia's GDP per capita in PPP terms remains on par with India at $3,800 which gives you an idea of the scope for growth, despite all the troubles the country faces, none more so than persistent Russian bullying.

I have been interested in Saakashvili since I read about him disbanding the entire Georgian police force to deal with persistent corruption. Since then, the new police force have winning plaudits from international observers for their non-corrupt ways. This interview with him appeared earlier this week in the Wall Street Journal and goes to show why Saakashvili is a remarkable politician of the sort that we do not find very often, and definitely not anymore in India. Here are a couple of excerpts from the interview:

A day or two later, at a dinner for Georgian businessmen, the president delivers a speech hammering home his well-honed message of self-help. "The government is going to help you in the best way possible, by doing nothing for you, by getting out of your way. Well, I exaggerate but you understand. Of course we will provide you with infrastructure, and help by getting rid of corruption, but you have all succeeded by your own initiative and enterprise, so you should congratulate yourselves."

Mr. Saakashvili's style of leadership feels like a permanent political campaign -- which it is, in a way. He seems determined to show citizens how it's being done, visibly to demonstrate accountability, transparency and political process, so they grow accustomed to the sight of politicians answering to them -- in short, to Western political habits. All the while, he's exhorting and explaining, striving to change attitudes ingrained through decades of Soviet rule and 15 years of stagnation, strife and corruption. "I keep telling people that this is not a process like some silver-backed gorilla leading them to new pastures. They must do it themselves, and they are."

Now if only more politicians would simply express the obvious and in plain language, like Saakashvili does.