Money doesn't talk; it gives commands. And it does not really do much good to promote any form of democracy, either. Georgia is a good example
My work here is done,” said the masked man, as he mountedhis horse and rode away. But he didn't go very far away. Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili of Georgia doesn't actually wear a mask, but he is mysterious enough without one. It's never been quite clear how he got so rich — his fortune is estimated at $6.4 billion, about a third of the entire country's annual GDP — but the real puzzle is his motives and goals. Why did he bother to become Prime Minister at all if he was planning to quit after only one yearIJ
He returned home only 10 years ago, after 20 years in Moscow. He built a huge and spectacular mansion in the hills above Tbilisi, the capital, and began doing good by stealth. The small Transcaucasian Republic was near economic collapse at the time, and he quietly subsidised beloved Georgian artists and actors who could not make ends meet. At one point Mr Ivanishvili even paid the salaries of state employees when the Government could not, and it has recently emerged that he paid for the massive new cathedral that now adorns the city centre. He clearly disliked the country's President, Mr Mikheil Saakashvili, but he shunned politics and mostly stayed out of sight.
Then, 18 months ago, he formed a political party that quickly combined with others to form the Georgian Dream coalition. last October it won a sweeping victory in the parliamentary elections and Mr Ivanishvili became Prime Minister. On Monday his candidate, Mr Giorgi Margvelashvili, replaced Mr Saakashvili as President and his triumph was complete. So now he is going to quit. Two months ago Mr Ivanishvili announced that he would retire as Prime Minister as soon as Mr Margvelashvili was installed in the presidency. Some other member of the Georgian Dream coalition will take over as Prime Minister, while Mr Ivanshvili devotes himself to “strengthening civil society in Georgia as a private citizen”. Georgians must not think of him as a messiah, he says.
The last messiah was Mr Saakashvili, who launched the non-violent Rose Revolution and restored democracy to Georgia in 2003. But he also started and lost a war against Russia over breakaway South Ossetia in 2008. The Georgian economy more than doubled in size during his decade in power, but at least a quarter of the population lives in extreme poverty and unemployment remains above 15 per cent. When people protested about his policies, they were met with violence and repression — so when Mr Ivanishvili gave them a plausible alternative, they flocked to his banner.
Mr Ivanishvili has never offered a coherent plan for Georgia or even distinctive policies; Georgians appear to have chosen him as the next messiah simply because he has a lot of money and seems to be generous with it. And it doesn't bother them where it comes from: Mr Ivanishvili is the only Georgian billionaire, and his wealth and wisdom will save us all. In Monday's election, his presidential candidate got 62 per cent of the vote, compared to only 22 per cent for the candidate chosen by the last messiah. ( Mr Saakashvili could not run for President again himself, having served two full terms.)
Mr Ivanishvili's decision to retire from high political office is less quixotic than it seems. He's not actually relinquishing power: With loyal placemen in both the presidency and the Prime Minister's office — President-elect Giorgi Margvelashvili said that he will always listen to his “authoritative friend” — he can continue to dominate affairs without having to take any personal responsibility if things go wrong.
Money doesn't talk; it gives commands. And it doesn't really do democracy, either. Mr Ivanishvili's Government has already begun arresting Mr Saakashvili's former Ministers on various charges, and the ex-messiah himself can probably expect the same treatment once he leaves the presidency. Salvation for Georgia is still not at hand.