Ulaanbaatar/MONTSAME/ President Khaltmaagiin Battulga addressed at the opening of the Autumn Session of the Parliament on October 1.

In his speech, the President asserted that Mongolia is suffering from a systematic crisis that is the reason and root of all present problems and that the political and governance system, formed in 1992, has fundamentally lost its ability to resolve and regulate the social challenges that Mongolia is currently facing.

He stressed, “The problem lies within the system itself, rather than due to a single individual or political party. Regardless of how good the person or the political party is, they become victims of the irresponsible, poorly coordinated, and unaccountable system, and an adverse condition is set where problems keep piling up and stress levels in the society keep rising. I have decided to share with you, the Members of the Parliament, constituents, and the people of Mongolia, proposal and solutions to overcome this systemic crisis, which are the result of my careful consideration and talks with various politicians and political science researchers after being elected as the President.”

He stated, “Unless the system is changed, nothing will change. To use an analogy, when the foundation and pillars of the house that we built together have developed faults and face a risk of collapsing, we have been making superficial changes instead of tearing it down and constructing new foundations and firm pillars. But the crisis has come to a point where it cannot be dodged and evaded. The house is already on the verge of collapsing. …The key is to build a stable system that can organize, arrange, and facilitate a government that is capable of resolving the problems that have been accumulated and fulfills its duty to lead and manage the society well so that the people would be employed, healthy, educated, satisfied with their lives, and happy.”

“The Government of Mongolia is facing a full-front accountability crisis. It has been defined that “accountability is the ability of decision-makers to respond and to solve issues.” Responsibility is the ability of the government to respond and find solutions when the people point at the “things that are not working.” But it is ever clearer that the institutions that must be accountable and look after the social system, including the Parliament and the Cabinet, are in an accountability crisis themselves. The poor state of the economy and widespread poverty and income inequality are indelible signs of bad governance. All social classes, political groups, and researchers have reached a common understanding that the governance system has to undergo a drastic change that is suited for the developmental needs and social requirements of Mongolia. This can be accomplished only through the Constitution.”

“The democratic new constitution served as an important mechanism in facilitating the transition from one social system to another. But now, we need to amend the Constitution in accordance with the developmental needs and social requirements. Now is the time to thank the current Constitution and those who drafted it and move on to the discussion of the next version of the Constitution.”

For the interest of the country’s future and building a prosperous and power Mongolia, the President urged the parliament members to make a systematic reform through collective judgment and rational discussion with the political parties, academics and researchers and their constituents.

“First of all, with active discussion and involvement of all people, let us adopt a new Constitution, which reflects our present and future goals and needs of society. This is the most important issue that we have to resolve,” the President appealed and said, “Our new Constitution shall:

-Dissolve monopoly power of a few group of people that are controlling politics, economy, and wealth distribution of Mongolia, and reform into a fair system of optimal allocation of power of governance that is democratic, transparent, balanced, mutually accountable, and meets the demands and expectations of the public.

-Establish a system where the exploitation and distribution of natural and social resources are transparent and fair, overseen by the public, and tied with accountability.

-Prioritize the national interest of Mongolia above all, completely cease entering international treaties and agreements that contradict our national interest, and include provisions for accountability.

-Reform judicial and law enforcement organizations which should serve the citizens and not those in power, comply with the law, have a clear responsibility, and enjoy proper judicial power.

-Revise the Law on Political Parties, define the boundaries between the involvement of the government and political parties in economic and social life, and separate political parties’ policies and politicization from government

-Include an accountability mechanism that specifies the means to truly implement and not just declare the government’s duty to ensure the conditions for the Mongolian people to be the true rulers of the society, to live in healthy and safe environment, to acquire education, and to be employed.

A reform will be more vibrant and practical if it is based on mutual understanding and support of the government and people." 

The President also called upon the politicians and the people to join all together in this act, a responsible and inevitable act to build a rational, well-arranged, transparent, and beneficial to the people political system. “The winners of the reform will be the people, and the losers will be the oligarchs who enriched themselves with public funds.”

"Putting an end to the power-seeking and pedestrian arguments, and instantly starting the bold systemic reform shall fully comply with the core interest of Mongolia and the people of Mongolia. As the official responsible for ensuring the national unity under the Constitution, I, as the President, express my commitment to providing full support to the political reform to establish a fair government. The reason is, in the long-run, unity of the people of Mongolia will be ensured by fair government, fully-enforced law, and the prosperous life of our people. Mongolians can make a difference together. We only need to unite and cooperate.”

Concluding his speech, the President said, “Dear Members, prepare for the drastic reform, amend the Constitution in line with the interests of people, and let them discuss and support you. Failure to do it will be considered as evasion from a historic responsibility. If the narrow interests of political parties and groups interfere with the systemic reform, it will be a sin, a crime equivalent to betrayal of the national interest. The time is forcing a drastic reform on us. Recognize this as a historic responsibility in front of our people.”

                                                                                                                                                      source: president.mn