The Naadam before the upcoming election is here. It is a time when the drama of political parties who balance their power under the name of ‘coalition’ comes to its finale.
When this happens, political parties start keeping their distance from each other, putting the blame on others, and trying to acquire ownership of achievements in order to be distinguished from the rest in the next election.
We can see a similar scenario this election cycle as well. By the beginning of July, the Democratic Party’s (DP) National Consultative Committee had told its parliamentary caucus to force the Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) out of the government and replace the six cabinet members from MPP. Two days ago they prompted their caucus again to ensure that the replacing ministers are not members of parliament. Politics is heating up.
Nevertheless, the finale of this recurrent drama will not unfold as the DP committee wishes. Any talks of changing the cabinet ultimately lead to the collapse of the government as Altankhuyag’s government did.
As a consequence of short-sighted, faulty policies conducted by political parties who can not see beyond the next election, our government is being replaced every year and the economic decline is continuing while the budget deficit exceeds its limit, and foreign and national debts strangle the people. Instead of the government, the ordinary people, specifically the poor, are paying for the decline and bearing the burden of a weakening currency rate.
WHO GAINS FROM REPLACING THE GOVERNMENT?
Political power in Mongolia has always been held not by a political party, but by a faction within a political party. When the allocation of political positions and public budget in the form of public investment and tender takes place, one views its distributed amount as too small and sets out to hit back. Pondering how they can do it, they suddenly turn themselves into someone who preaches the rule of law, integrity, and justice.
Then they resist major decisions from the government; oppose mega projects, and join hands with the opposition to continue the propaganda on how the interests of the people are violated.
Soon the government finds it hard to continue their work. The fact that the government is full of people who have been appointed by connection, not by merit, does not help to improve the situation either.
The government collapses more easily when it faces budget deficit at the same time that the prices of one or two commodities have fallen. As soon as it happens, the re-allocation of power and positions begin. As a result, they change not only the cabinet members, but also the entire structure of the cabinet.
Some political factions are currently trying to employ this scheme to overthrow Saikhanbileg’s government by using a number of parliamentarians who are hoping to become a minister, even if it lasts for only a year.
Everyone knows that the Mongolian government was lavish, corrupt, short of capabilities, and did not have a long term vision even before Saikhanbileg. The Minister of Finance has recently informed the parliament that the government is unable to pay interest on its national and foreign debts.
The fact that Mongolia faces the need to amend its public budget for the third time makes the people doubt, and become more aware of how incapable people have been steering the nation. Just like how it was in 2013, the 2014 public budget had a deficit of one trillion MNT. Only half of the 520 construction projects have been completed and 29 out of 39 projects planned to be funded by the public budget in culture, education, and science did not even have the necessary permits and designs, which were pointed out to the parliament by the minister responsible.
There is a huge gap between the planning and the implementation of the public budget. The same gap can be seen between the promises and the performance of political parties. It has always been like this, regardless of whether it is DP or MPP.
MONGOLIANS HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE THEIR FATE
The political parties who have been in power, either on their own or with other parties, have not managed to develop the Mongolian government as an institution. They are not able to set standards in civil service and public investment, and lack a mechanism to verify the implementation of existing standards.
The development of our country has become dependent on whether the political parties, who are able to seize all power on their own, can develop as an institution or not. The effectiveness of political institutions now depends on whether the operations and financing of political parties are true and transparent, and verified by an independent audit.
The leaders of political parties must be responsible people who stay true to their word, uphold integrity, and place public interests above their own. They should lead their political party instead of dividing, and create the conditions to strengthen democracy, develop market economy, and improve the livelihood of people.
Instead of demanding their leader to have such qualities, the political party members readily accept their faults and history, and silently wait and conspire to be appointed to a more senior position. Those who make noises are made silent by appointing them to a deputy position somewhere.
It has been more than 20 years, but the political parties are still not able to become such an institution while the people desperately wait for them to do so. We, the Mongolians, have the right to not choose such political parties in the upcoming election. It is time to give birth to a brand new political force that can truly deliver.
I would like to call on political parties to be patient for only a year without changing the members of the cabinet as well as its structure. Instead of acquiring additional loans, we need to wait and see what outcome Prime Minister Saikhanbileg’s international investment roadshow might bring. The incapability of the government might be a lost cause, but the stability must be ensured. Dear DP and MPP, please do not make the situation worse than it already is.
See more at: http://jargaldefacto.com/
The Naadam before the upcoming election is here. It is a time when the drama of political parties who balance their power under the name of ‘coalition’ comes to its finale.
When this happens, political parties start keeping their distance from each other, putting the blame on others, and trying to acquire ownership of achievements in order to be distinguished from the rest in the next election.
We can see a similar scenario this election cycle as well. By the beginning of July, the Democratic Party’s (DP) National Consultative Committee had told its parliamentary caucus to force the Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) out of the government and replace the six cabinet members from MPP. Two days ago they prompted their caucus again to ensure that the replacing ministers are not members of parliament. Politics is heating up.
Nevertheless, the finale of this recurrent drama will not unfold as the DP committee wishes. Any talks of changing the cabinet ultimately lead to the collapse of the government as Altankhuyag’s government did.
As a consequence of short-sighted, faulty policies conducted by political parties who can not see beyond the next election, our government is being replaced every year and the economic decline is continuing while the budget deficit exceeds its limit, and foreign and national debts strangle the people. Instead of the government, the ordinary people, specifically the poor, are paying for the decline and bearing the burden of a weakening currency rate.
WHO GAINS FROM REPLACING THE GOVERNMENT?
Political power in Mongolia has always been held not by a political party, but by a faction within a political party. When the allocation of political positions and public budget in the form of public investment and tender takes place, one views its distributed amount as too small and sets out to hit back. Pondering how they can do it, they suddenly turn themselves into someone who preaches the rule of law, integrity, and justice.
Then they resist major decisions from the government; oppose mega projects, and join hands with the opposition to continue the propaganda on how the interests of the people are violated.
Soon the government finds it hard to continue their work. The fact that the government is full of people who have been appointed by connection, not by merit, does not help to improve the situation either.
The government collapses more easily when it faces budget deficit at the same time that the prices of one or two commodities have fallen. As soon as it happens, the re-allocation of power and positions begin. As a result, they change not only the cabinet members, but also the entire structure of the cabinet.
Some political factions are currently trying to employ this scheme to overthrow Saikhanbileg’s government by using a number of parliamentarians who are hoping to become a minister, even if it lasts for only a year.
Everyone knows that the Mongolian government was lavish, corrupt, short of capabilities, and did not have a long term vision even before Saikhanbileg. The Minister of Finance has recently informed the parliament that the government is unable to pay interest on its national and foreign debts.
The fact that Mongolia faces the need to amend its public budget for the third time makes the people doubt, and become more aware of how incapable people have been steering the nation. Just like how it was in 2013, the 2014 public budget had a deficit of one trillion MNT. Only half of the 520 construction projects have been completed and 29 out of 39 projects planned to be funded by the public budget in culture, education, and science did not even have the necessary permits and designs, which were pointed out to the parliament by the minister responsible.
There is a huge gap between the planning and the implementation of the public budget. The same gap can be seen between the promises and the performance of political parties. It has always been like this, regardless of whether it is DP or MPP.
MONGOLIANS HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE THEIR FATE
The political parties who have been in power, either on their own or with other parties, have not managed to develop the Mongolian government as an institution. They are not able to set standards in civil service and public investment, and lack a mechanism to verify the implementation of existing standards.
The development of our country has become dependent on whether the political parties, who are able to seize all power on their own, can develop as an institution or not. The effectiveness of political institutions now depends on whether the operations and financing of political parties are true and transparent, and verified by an independent audit.
The leaders of political parties must be responsible people who stay true to their word, uphold integrity, and place public interests above their own. They should lead their political party instead of dividing, and create the conditions to strengthen democracy, develop market economy, and improve the livelihood of people.
Instead of demanding their leader to have such qualities, the political party members readily accept their faults and history, and silently wait and conspire to be appointed to a more senior position. Those who make noises are made silent by appointing them to a deputy position somewhere.
It has been more than 20 years, but the political parties are still not able to become such an institution while the people desperately wait for them to do so. We, the Mongolians, have the right to not choose such political parties in the upcoming election. It is time to give birth to a brand new political force that can truly deliver.
I would like to call on political parties to be patient for only a year without changing the members of the cabinet as well as its structure. Instead of acquiring additional loans, we need to wait and see what outcome Prime Minister Saikhanbileg’s international investment roadshow might bring. The incapability of the government might be a lost cause, but the stability must be ensured. Dear DP and MPP, please do not make the situation worse than it already is.
See more at: http://jargaldefacto.com/