Vika Pilpani, an MP from the opposition party “For Georgia” (Gakharia – For Georgia), has criticized the findings of the commission studying price formation. Specifically, the opposition member stated that recent decisions resemble “alms”:
“According to planned legislative changes, ministers, state representatives (governors), and deputy mayors will be eligible to receive salary supplements and cash bonuses.
Against the backdrop of the failure of the price commission and Kobakhidze’s policies, yesterday ‘Georgian Dream’ effectively divided society along social lines and began introducing ‘shelves for the poor’ in stores. They are trying to deceive citizens once again: the price of meat has risen to 37 GEL (Georgian Lari), while buckwheat has dropped by 5 tetri, and essentially, the poor were told—eat buckwheat and expired food.
Today, when most citizens face daily increases in food prices, rising utility costs, and harsh social conditions, the ‘Georgian Dream’ government is once again demonstrating that its priority is not the people, but its own party interests.
Quite recently, ‘Georgian Dream’ failed to support salary increases for rank-and-file civil servants, the introduction of a minimum wage, and a 200 GEL increase in pensions. Yet, in parallel, it initiated legislative changes providing for cash bonuses and supplements for high-ranking officials, whose salaries are already six times higher than those of a kindergarten teacher, a pensioner, or an ordinary employee.
People who have nothing but their labor have been denied even a decent valuation of it. Every second person in this country has a bank loan because it is impossible to save on these salaries, and they are insufficient even for basic needs. Interest rates on loans range from 18–25%, which is among the highest in the world, whereas in EU countries, bank loans are issued at 3–7%.
When a young person in this country works two jobs and still cannot afford rent, when families buy medicine by the pill, when citizens survive daily on credit—this is exactly when bonuses and supplements become the government’s top priority.
The price study commission has concluded its work, but prices continue to rise every day, and citizens were essentially told only two things: first, prices will continue to rise, and second, buy products from the shelves with expired goods.
Today, the country is experiencing a crisis of dignity! Georgians do not deserve such a life. Georgians deserve a state where being born in the regions does not mean fewer opportunities, where labor is valued, and where young people see their future here rather than in another country. Because people do not need alms—people need a life of dignity. And this demand is neither radical nor impossible. It is the minimum that a state should provide to its citizens,” Pilpani stated.