Niko Lekishvili, of course, does have a “Magti”.

Niko Lekishvili has lots of other things as well... For instance, a talent for singing, numerous friends, a thousand memories...

Who is he - a politician or a businessman? A favourite of fortune, or a risk-taker? A tough guy from Plekhanov, or a permanent member of the high echelons of power? Whatever might be said, no one would dispute one thing - Niko Lekishvili is an extraordinary man.

When this magazine is released, the elections will already be over. Therefore, no one will take this profile as a pre-election propaganda. We do not know what post Batoni Niko may hold and where when he reads this article. Changes in his life are frequent and rapid. Today he tells us a story of this extraordinary life:
The life of a man is an epoch, enticing and always unique.

“I was not a very active child at school. I played water polo and I attended a musical college. When I was a little boy, I thought I would be a conductor... When I finished school, however, there was an energy boom and I entered the Energy Department of the SPI (State Polytechnical Institute). That was the period when they started taking students to work virgin lands across the country. In the beginning, this was not considered a “prestigious” venture and only bad students were taken. Unexpectedly, I was offered to go there as a team leader and I accepted it. That was a time when Zhiuli Shartava brought some young leaders who held no official Komsomol positions. Later I was elected the Faculty Secretary of the Komsomol Party. However, I did not at that time intend to follow a party carrier. I stayed to work at the faculty. Soon, however... It was the period when Zhiuli Shartava became the Second Secretary of the City Committee, and Eduard Shevardnadze came to the City Committee of the Communist Party. At that time Shevardnadze was a very important figure for us - a young fighter who had come from the Komsomol ranks. He had very good contacts, especially with the young people of the Orjonikidze District. At that time I was due to go to Novosibirsk to the Department of Nuclear Power Stations. Shevardnadze got new appointments, first as a Secretary of the Tbilisi Committee, and then of the Central Committee. I became Secretary of the Pirveli Maisi District Committee and very soon afterwards, the First Secretary of the City Committee of Komsol. All this happened very rapidly. I was very young, twenty five or twenty six years of age. Then, somehow, things took their natural course... Once you find yourself in orbit, you go on and on... Then my party career began. I became the Second Secretary, then the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Communist Party. At 41 I became the Secretary of the City Committee and, at that time, this was a very young age for the post.

Soon the national liberation movement began to gain momentum. The situation was too complicated. I became a deputy from the Communist Party, but when the Round Table came to power I pulled out... My intuition has always prompted me how to behave and when to quit. Even though nobody was against me; I was on good terms with everybody; I had known Zviad Gamsakhurdia for a long time, but I felt it would not last that way. New people came to power... and, in December I quit. I did not make a fuss about it. I simply got up and left. I was the Chairman of the City Council, I took my files, closed the door behind me and never returned. A few days later a decree was issued abolishing all the existing councils.

When I reminisce about my work in the Pirveli Maisi District, I believe we did many good things. Take Tsereteli Avenue. At that time this place was a district full of barracks. They used to call it Shanghai. The barracks were demolished and the district was rebuilt. Later, during my time in office, Plekhanov Avenue was renamed and two avenues were named after David the Builder and Queen Tamar. It was not an easy step in those days. It was 1988, the Politburo still existed but we nevertheless took the decision, although many were grumbling. When we opened the avenues, we organized a big pageant during the celebrations of Tbilisoba. We brought two thousand horsemen from the Film Studio, lead by David the Builder. “King David” - Otar Megvinetukhutsesi - personally removed the old street name-plate from the wall. Today everything seems easy, but at that time it was rather risky to bring the ‘king’ out to public. I remember there were some tensions in Marneuli Region then and when old guys from Plekhanov saw the cavalry, they shouted: “Otar, go directly to Marneuli”.

The Musical Centre, the Movie Actors’ Theatre and many others opened in that period. We also changed, I also changed the name of Lenin Square without consulting anybody, naming it Freedom Square. I took the decision to remove the Lenin monument, and later, others seized the idea and claimed to be the initiators, but the reality was different.

When people started to denigrate the Lenin statue I suggested that the authorities remove the monument before it was destroyed. They refused. So I took the decision, and, without asking anybody, I issued a resolution to “remove the Lenin monument due to the reconstruction work in the Square”. Of course, the KGB was quickly notified and the Deputy Head of the KGB called me promptly asking what the matter was and what was happening. I explained that the decision had already been taken, so come what may. He went mad... Imagine, the April 9 events had already taken place, and now too there were troops in combat gear standing behind the City Council...

Patrikeev rang me up saying that people were destroying the monument and that he was compelled to take some measures. I explained that I was removing it according to my resolution, nobody was destroying it. It was then that he ordered to pull out the army.

The following day it was all over... There was a telephone call from the Central Committee of the CPSU asking what was wrong, what was going on; and so on, and so forth... All our Central Committee Secretariat conveniently disappeared. Some of them fell ill, some left for somewhere or other... by the way, even those people who were to sign the Resolution were hiding. The City Council had its own Presidium and each of the Presidium members was to sign the document. I, naturally enough, called them and explained the situation. Some of them signed the document, some did not. I will never name the names, but everyone knows what part he or she has played. Some time later, they all became very ardent anti-Communists.

Such were the times we went through and at that time it became quite obvious to me who was who and who could take a risk.

When I left the post of Chairman of the City Council, I was a member of the Supreme Council, though I was not very active because I felt that the Supreme Council would not have a long existence. We adopted a number of resolutions that was incompatible with the ideology we were proclaiming: democracy and so on...
I thought it was time to look after my life, and I got involved in business. It was 1991. At the beginning of that year I was invited several times to lead the City Council, or to take some other senior posts, but I did not want to return to politics. In general, I cannot be in a team whose rules of game are unacceptable to me.
By the way, I am very grateful to Tengiz Sigua, because he supported me at that time and helped me in many ways. After the coup I was offered to become the Mayor of Tbilisi. It was the night of January 6; they had a meeting at the Television Department, called me and said, “Now you are going to be the Mayor of the city, our representative, go and start working”. Without delay I replied, that they would immediately be criticized by the people for bringing in a partocrat, and I told them that they should not do this.

The business was developing successfully. I was satisfied and, at that moment, I did not want to go back to politics. There were some other offers as well but I declined them. Some time later Tengiz called me again and asked me to become his chief state adviser. I accepted it. During that period I traveled a lot and saw many things. However negative my approach toward that period might be, one thing is clear, the Council of Ministers of that time which was not a homogeneous body, and, the period itself was very complex too, still played its critical role...

Then I became a deputy, and here is how it all happened: it was the period when terrible “raids” on entrepreneurs started. They used to come and demand that someone be made the director and another his deputy. And there plenty of possibilities then, new banks were founded, negotiations with the “Coca-Cola” company started, and the situation was promising. I did not have financial problems then. And I left with the purpose of establishing some protection, a safer environment. I was an MP as well as a chairman of the Parliamentary commission. If I hadn’t taken this step nothing would have happened. As I said earlier I did not plan to go back. I had developed acquired a taste for a free life. I used to go whenever I wished, my friends, my family... I no longer wanted to be in politics.

It was 1993. Eduard Shevardnadze offered me the post of a Vice-Premier. I vehemently objected to this offer. I really did not want it, but then I agreed. I served as a Vice-Premier for a short time. The war in Abkhazia finished and Shevardnadze again called and offered me to become the Mayor of Tbilisi.

Tbilisi at that time was in a disastrous state. No bread, no public transport, no electricity, and no natural gas. When I assumed the post there were 17,500 “kiosks” in the city. Trucks sold petrol on Rustaveli Avenue. Shops were empty. Regardless of everything I agreed. Shevardnadze told me to somehow resolve the bread problem at least. I promised to within a month. It took us a little more than a month, but the problem was resolved. It had not been the fault of my predecessors; the whole country was mired in a crisis - no ambulances, no garbage collectors, All municipal services were disrupted. The  budget was non-existent, no salaries and pensions were paid. Little by little though some structures recovered. On April 1the first trolley-buses and buses appeared in the city. It took us five months to restore the city transport network. They only worked until 6 p.m. because drivers were subjected to violence and extortion. So we had to put law-enforcement people in the buses.

It was a real war...

When I came to the post power was virtually not supplied to the city. I told my staff to bring a generator so that the City Hall could be supplied for 24 hours. Some of them hesitated saying that it was not fair because people had no electricity, and besides what would the people say... I replied that the City Hall was responsible for providing electricity to the people and if it failed to supply itself how could it do that for others. By the way, the Mayor of Jerusalem, told me that earlier when there were disorders in Jerusalem the people’s only hope was the City Hall. So they used to bring fuel for the generators themselves in order to make it possible for the City Hall to work and be an example to others. In Georgia the approach was different.

In spring we planted roses in the square. We wanted the roses to bring joy to the people. There was an enormous fuss about this rose venture. It was not the time for roses, for concerts, they argued. We introduced a new festival, “Tbilisi Spring”. We put chairs outside; I used to walk round and ask owners of cafes to put their tables in the open air; I was assigning them to bring an orchestra there; I brought some students, I wanted to cheer up the whole city and to bring an end to the gloom and misery. Then there was a football match between Georgia and Germany. People went out and saw that the street lights were on. We lighted up the Funicular and the bridges. We wanted somehow to “pull out” the city back to the normal life. Theatres reopened and we restored School No1.
That is how things were in those days. It is easy to be critical now.

We ordered the owners of petrol trucks to clear the streets within a period of three months. I was deluged with telephone calls. One threat following another... It was a big black market business, many big shots were involved... We really went through a war.

I was categorically against my becoming a State Minister because the status and responsibilities of this newly introduced position were still largely undetermined. Later I agreed because there was a promise that the Cabinet of Ministers would be created, among other things. I still believe that it was my big mistake. I shouldn’t have agreed. I am a man of action - when I do business I like to bring it to a successful end, with my own team and under my own responsibility. This period was both difficult and important, as I worked together with Eduard Shevardnadze, having daily contacts with him. I traveled extensively both throughout Georgia and to other countries. Many interesting things were done in that period. Later the political situation became extremely tense. The President faced some formidable problems. He was planning a major  reorganisation, but it failed and I resigned. I lost nothing. I did not cling to my status. The main thing for me was to feel the support of those whose opinion I valued. I am among my friends. The time is gone when the post was decisive. Today some people are at the top and some below, and that does not mean at all that one is better, or worse, than others.

Today I am wittingly returning to politics. I am determined in my intentions. I believe that radical reforms are imperative. Now I am more a politician than a businessman. It is impossible to do both jobs in parallel.

I helped my children to start off in business. My son-in-laws are businessmen as well. One is in the heating, air conditioning and shipping business; the other is in the cosmetics and construction materials business. My daughter is involved in insurance activity. I used all my experience and knowledge to help them set up several very challenging, very difficult, but useful ventures. I am very grateful that they trusted me and did not get involved in businesses with suspicious profits. My family members have all they need: place to live, cars, business.

My family has always been very hospitable... Until 1977 we had a two-room flat. Myself, my wife, the children, my mother and father, all shared it. Later we expanded. We had parties every day. They used to say that my father was a very rich man. In fact he was not rich, he was simply very generous. No one could compete with him in his open-hearted hospitality. He helped everybody.

I have many friends and know many people, but the circle of my closest friends is rather small. We have known each other for a very long time... A man who fails to look after his family and his friends will not be able to look after his country...”

And finally three short stories from the life of one man. Life is made of stories.  One may live for the recollections they leave with us...

“I was the Second Secretary of the District Committee. Beglar Makharashvili was the First Secretary, and Viola Djaparidze (a brilliant singer) the Third Secretary. One day we all went to a party. Viola sang the first harmony, I - the second, and Beglar - the third. Tengiz Menteshashvili remarked: “Everything is mixed up here, only Niko is in his right place”...

“Vakho Tskhadadze was a deputy head of the Meteorological Service. In 1987 he was summoned to the Bureau and everybody were sacked without any explanation. We were standing outside when they came out. “What’s the matter, Vakho?” we demanded. “We have been fired. They found eight kilometers of “unofficial” cloud and how could they forgive me...”

“It was 2 a.m. We were walking home from Kicha Arveladze’s. Vazha Bakuradze, I and our several other friends. There was a spot-check in the street. The police stopped and inspected cars... We were very drunk. Vazha went up to one of the police inspectors and said “Guys, look, I’ll give you 500 roubles”...”What 500 roubles?” The policemen went crazy. They caught him and wanted him to inhale deeply...”Look, guys, what do you want, I am giving you 500 roubles, if you don’t want to take it, I am on foot, goodbye”...
 

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