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POLITICS
GEORGIA TODAY
JANUARY 13 - 16, 2017
Experts Investigate Marijuana Seeds in Girchi Office
BY NATIA LIPARTELIANI
P
olice are investigating the office of The New Political Center Girchi following a marijuana-planting stunt shown on social media in which party members, with volunteers, planted marijuana in their office as a form of protest against Georgia’s strict drug policy. Experts asked all party members to leave Girchi HQ while they searched the premises. Only party leaders Zurab Japaridze and Iago Khvichia were present throughout the process of investigation. Before the start of the investigation, Party Chair, Zurab Japaridze, told journalists that there was nothing to investigate as the planting of marijuana seeds
At present there are more than 80 pots of marijuana in the office
in the office had happened publicly. “The only thing that experts have to investigate is if the marijuana seeds in the pots are genuine,” he said. The pots were used to collect signatures from supporters of the decriminalization of the drug in Georgia. Japaridze said the investigation is being carried out under Article 265 which is “irrelevant in relation to the situation”. “At around 12.00 am, the representatives of Ministry Internal Affairs came to our office with a search warrant from the court,” he said. “The investigation is being carried out under the first part of Article 265, which implies the cultivation of a plant containing a small quantity of drugs. But, in reality, the second and third parts of the Article were violated, as it was in large quantity and involved a group of people”. He claims that at present there are more than 80 pots of marijuana in the office. The violation of the first part of Article 265 of the Criminal Code is punishable by a fine or imprisonment for a term of two to five years. The New Political Center Girchi is a Liberalist party which split from the United National Movement (UNM), and is chaired by Zurab Japaridze. The party is in opposition to the current Georgian Dream coalition. Founded in November 2015, the name Girchi (pine cone) was chosen as a symbol of freshness, greenery, growth and freedom.
Thoughts from America on the President - Elect OP-ED BY NUGZAR B. RUHADZE
T
he first thing I usually do the morning after my arrival in the US is avidly grind into the press and zap through all available TV channels, trying not to miss anything that might be going on. I also have a habit of talking to those American friends and colleagues who are better versed in the current political developments, and are willing to let me pick their minds on the subject. Amazingly, I was given a quick tip to stay away from openly expressing my opinion on the results of the recent presidential elections, especially if I wanted to say something positive about the conservative electoral triumph in America. People have taken the Clinton defeat and the Trump victory here very emotionally and, I would say, personally, as a result of which even a minor opinionated sparkle may carry the potential to ignite a politically charged fallout. Having taken this valuable advice, I delved into media even more voraciously to get a clearer picture of the issue. Incidentally, the prognosticating comments in our media about the American elections and the presumptions on the preference of one particular candidate’s victory for us have proved to be totally
irrelevant. How could we have known who would be better for Georgia when Americans themselves cannot make head nor tail of what has happened – nobody has the slightest clue what is in store for America in the next four years, or eight. The air is heavily pregnant with expectations today in the United States of America – as determinative as those expectations might turn out to be. Did I say ‘united’? Some of them would say ‘divided’ – and I shudder at the metaphor. ‘He or She’ – this was the alternative question of the century that generated the division, the overwhelming division, to put it more precisely: our Georgia was divided on who would give her more chance against Russia; America was divided on who would bring an effective change; the world was divided on who could heal the sick globe quicker; families were divided on who would take better care of their basket of staples. Technically, the reason for that ubiquitous division was the fact that Hillary’s candidacy was taken more seriously than Don’s. Isn’t it hilarious that the entire world bungled the prediction? Time to wake up and face the music! The piece is already written and the orchestras of the world are hurrying to learn the tune to have it sound as agreeable as possible. Will he really deliver the change? Does he really believe in ‘great again’? Can he really challenge the extant order in the world? Those are the questions that have dominated
Source: ibtimes.com
both the most brilliant and the plainest minds of late. Not much time is left to find out, but shortness of breath and patience is still in our way. No other election of no other leader in history has ever generated this much universal interest, although it is a vivid case of love and hatred, hope and fear, doubt and confidence. We all identify with this American choice – unbelievable but true! It only takes to read a little deeper into American press to come closer to the truth. Here is what I have found there: the recent elections have almost eliminated the party lines; the ascent of rightist nationalists around the globe has resulted; it has been revealed what America values more; it makes no sense to talk about popular vote because it is legally unjustified; the possibility of a female commander has gone up in smoke; the qualities of a candidate that once mattered have been outdated; not many people thought Trump was qualified to be president, but he is; race relations will worsen; women will be worse off, too; the presumed new deal, refreshed ways of trade and reopening of factories are already under cloud, and so on and so forth. Time Magazine has made the American President-Elect the 2016 Person of the Year, having emphasized that ‘the truth is only as powerful as the trust in those who speak it’. Golden words! Trump seems to have spoken the truth all the way. Not true? Who cares?