B.Delgermaa answers questions on politics today.

I want you to answer a question as a politician, not a DP member. Is the situation in both DP and MPRP indicating a fall in the standards of politics in Mongolia?

Only time will tell. The anger before and after the July 1 protests were mellowed by the success of Mongolian athletes in the Beijing Olympics. When the then Prime Minister S.Bayar came to watch the boxing final we welcomed him cheerfully, not as the MPRP leader but as a person who came to encourage the Mongolian athlete. It showed that the sense of national honor can unite Mongolians. It was the same when the coalition government was established. The MPRP cheated during the election, and we all saw the public anger. DP had great expectations from that election, but we let that pass and agreed to work together with MPRP to usher in development.  The coalition government rightly raised people’s expectations.

After the gold medals, all the high officials celebrated together at Sukhbaatar Square, but many people commented there was no such unity when they made policies.

I thought they were also making a move to heal the wounds of July 1. A Government is made up of people but it is something like a puppet show. The man pulling the strings is not seen. Any Prime Minister is like a consummate puppet master. He stays behind the curtains and keeps people guessing what will happen next. People soon felt the absence of openness and clarity. The Government lost people’s basic trust. This has led to what you asked, to people wondering what is happening in our politics.

So what is your answer?

The answer must come from institutions such as Parliament, the President, the Courts and the Prosecutors, but since all of them are silent politicians, columnists, and civil movements are speculating on what the best solution is.  E.Bat-Uul is proposing a bicameral parliament. Kh.Temuujin wants court and the prosecutors to be reformed. Civil movements, led by people like J.Batzandan and O.Magna, want punishment for the guilty. Not merely are the answers so varied, nobody is sure what methods are to be followed to reach the goals. Some are establishing the Union of Democratic Forces to change Mongolia, MPRP is talking about internal reforms, others feel we need a third party. It does not mean Mongolian politics is breaking apart. There were a lot of expectations; these have not been met, and the people are longing for change.

Will the expectations be fulfilled with the MNT 70,000?

A Government runs the administration with the help of ministers the Prime Minister chooses from his party. That party has to fulfill its election campaign promises. That becomes the goal of policies. The Government’s decisions and laws are based on this goal. Four years of a government is not short time, but it is not long also. But all our governments have failed to follow a consistent policy during the term. Party factions have to be kept happy. Parliament, on the other hand, wants to do too much. Up to 2004, Parliament used to make policies only. It decided on how much to liberalize, when to remove price controls, how to privatize apartments etc. and established a responsibility mechanism. Annulling the customs tax brought all the cars which are now causing traffic jams, import of construction materials benefited the construction business. Policies set the ball rolling.

Are the factions working in the Government only and not the DP itself?

Let’s look back into history. When M.Enkhsaikhan’s Government fell in 1998, the Mongolian National Democratic Party and Mongolian Social Democrat Party held meetings to settle things. DP always settled issues through the National Consulting Bureau and the Executive Council. Today the main job of the Nation Consulting Bureau seems to be to collect MNT 1 million from its members each year. When Ts.Elbegdorj was the party head, the last major issue decided by the NCB was to enter the coalition Government. Since N.Altankhuyag’s appointment, the party head has remained elusive. No one knows how the DP ministers were chosen and what the criteria were. People who had done most for the party, leaders acknowledged by the people were overlooked. There was no discussion. I’m not sure if these people have the support of the people.

MPRP, on the other hand, is able to access both senior people and young newcomers. Younger people are joining the MPRP because they see it as a better career opportunity. They must be educated to value human rights and personal property, and to take interest in development of the economy. Why should people looking for a political career choose one party and not another? Or is it better to enter politics after becoming famous in any field. Shall we have a parliament full of wrestlers?  Our parliament needs fulltime politicians who will be devoted to their legislative duties.

What happened in the National Consulting Bureau election? How was it in Khentii?

Everything went as planned. Member of the NCB Kh.Temuujin and member of Executive Council Kh.Battulga failed to be elected. What’s wrong if a woman B.Odontuya is elected instead of Minister Kh.Battulga? Kh.Battulga should work for the party. Odontuya is a fresh young person entering politics. Her success over an MP who leads the Mongolian Democratic Union shows there is democracy in our party. Kh.Temuujin also should analyze himself. He will learn from his mistake. There was no problem in Khentii province. Policy issues were discussed. The rotation was not interesting for me. Da.Ganbold and E.Enkh-Amgalan who were not in rotation election in the past three years entered and won by more than 80 percent voting.

What policy issues were discussed?

We’ve talked about how to improve the party’s democracy and how to work and win in the 2012 election. That is why I am proud of the DP members in Khentii. In UB, the elections were problematic. Too much money was spent, dividing votes and affecting discipline. How can a party department be divided into two and allowed to organize separate elections and electing separate members? If members anywhere go on ahunger strike, the district leader can at least go there and meet them. We should learn from how the MPRP settled the issue in Songinokhairkhan district. The leaders must show their authority. If  they cannot end disputes amicably, they have to do it  by strictly following rules. Our party is a democratic party, not an anarchist party. 

What was the decision of DP in Khentii province?

The Khentii DP decided that DP must leave the coalition Government. The decision will be sent to National Consulting Bureau, Execute Board and DP group in the Parliament.

What was the reason?

Khentii province is unique. Three MPs from there are from MPRP. In the provincial election, the DP was successful in several soums. Governor Erdenebat is also from MPRP and follows a rule of political repression. He has taken the seals of elected Civil Representatives Assembly directors and soum governors who belong to DP, making them unable to do their work and pressurizing them. DP also won in Jargaltkhaan soum. Now it is in chaos. Why isn’t the Party Head going there and settling the issue? The officials of Jargaltkhaan soum have been coming to UB to meet N.Altankhuyag for three months and never get an appointment. If people who win against odds are treated like this, it will be hard to remain in DP. In Bor-Undur soum, DP also won. Four times the court verified it. But the officials are still not able to get the seals. The party’s high officials think only of their factional allegiance.

Is it really necessary to leave the Government because of this?

I consider that DP has fulfilled its role in the coalition by helping in the Oyutolgoi agreement. Now DP should leave the Government and work as a strong opposition in Parliament, keeping the Prime Minister and the other ministers on their toes. The differences between the left and the right must not get blurred. If we enter the 2012 election together with MPRP, the voters will not be able to see who is who. 

What about the situation in MPRP? Do you think it is time for N.Enkhbayar to reenter politics?

After watching N.Enkhbayar as Parliament Speaker, Prime Minister and thenPresident I am convinced the result of the Presidential election of 2009 was not the victory of a politician named Ts.Elbegdorj. It was the defeat of N.Enkhbayar. He is obsessed with power. He abandoned team work and depended on a coterie comprising bootlickers. I think he has no future left as a politician. He must analyze himself to understand why Mongolian society will not accept him again. MPRP is looking for a powerful leader and not finding one.  In our party, on the other hand, there are many people who can become party leader.