Elbegdorj Tsakhia, President, Liberty Center

Let People Decide

(a speech made at the Fifth International Conference of New or Restored Democracies,
September 10-12, 2003; Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia)

Firstly, as one of the participants of this conference, from the host country I would like to heartfelt welcome you to Mongolia whose history stretches back thousands of years and embraces love of freedom alongside ancient traditions.

Maybe some of you never have dreamed you would visit my country, and once you arrived here some of you have found Mongolia surprisingly close, well-acquainted and warm.

This is a momentous occasion in the history of my nation to welcome to its soil the finest sons and daughters from almost two third of the nations of the Earth. You all came to my country with open hearts and rich thoughts and with your unique prosperities.

Not every Mongolians can afford to travel to your countries to see what you have done in your countries. These days people of my country have a unique opportunity to learn from you directly, to show you what we have done here. Most importantly, Mongolians feel in these days as an indispensable part of the world movement for the global good and democracy.

I know that after this extensive interchange of ideas all of us will be richer with new thoughts, new friends and future goals. I believe in the power of idea. Mongolia as a newly born society is very receptive to fresh ideas. If we plant a good idea here, results will bear fruit very quickly.

Over the last 13 years Mongolians made huge progress and have witnessed extraordinary changes. We also went through unprecedented challenges and learned many new lessons. So we have something to share with others. We have learned that it is much more difficult to implement the values of democracy and market economy in real life than to talk or write about it.

Once Chinggis Khaan said "It is easy to conquer half of the world on horseback. What is challenging is to dismount and try to govern".

People talk about democracy and market ideas as a theory or as an accomplished mission. Again, a main difference in the case of Mongolia is that we are trying to implement ideas of freedom in real life, at a real time and in new reality. Because of that almost every participant in the changes of our society has become a transition manager in real life.

Secondly, today Mongolia is recovering its past, embracing freedom, and finding its rightful place in a changing world. We all know that no country in the world had previously made the transition from communism to democracy. Because of the complexity of the problems, the task of rebuilding a country ravaged by such an inhuman system has been daunting. With the lack of expertise that comes from experience, the people in transition countries-no matter whether old or young, hard-liner or reformist-have been learning by doing. We had neither the time nor the models from which to learn.

Since 1990, Mongolia is the only country in Asia that has made the simultaneous transition from a political dictatorship with an administrative communal economy to a political democracy with a free market system. The people of Mongolia have proven that the principles and values of freedom, like the laws of physics, function the same way everywhere in the world. While many of you may have heard that making political and economic reforms simultaneously is not the "Asian way," the old stereotype of the so called "Asian value" no longer has practical application to Mongolia. Mongolia has proven that freedom is not solely a Western value but is a human virtue. Freedom can be enjoyed by everyone, no matter the level of economic development, the color of race, or the differences of the regions in which they live.

Perhaps the greatest beauty of the transition in Mongolia in Spring of 1990 was that it was peaceful. Mongolians dismantled the old regime and created a new, open system without bloodshed or violence.

Thirdly, while there have been many successes and triumphs in our transition to democracy and a free market, establishing a new political and economic system does not automatically eliminate all challenges and complexities relating to government and politics.

Surprisingly, one of the toughest challenges facing the new society in Mongolia was rather changing people's mindset and mentality than changing the political and economic system. Today, even after some 13 years of change, many people still believe more in the government than in their own abilities. The stone-aged political views of the past and ignorance of the new realities of people's choice are more aggravating the facing challenges.

Another challenge is that not every transition resulted in democracy; furthermore, not every democratic transition changed the direction of power. In Mongolia under the communist system, the privileged, political elites made all the decisions. Today, in a so-called democratic Mongolia, that type of decision making almost has not changed. Today, Mongolia as a country may have democracy, but the people still do not have the power. Mongolia has, in fact, only elective democracy, not direct democracy. People in this country exercise their rights to choose who will be their elected officials only one time in an election term, which is every four years. For the rest of the time, they have to passively wait for the government to solve the challenges facing the society.

We know that successful democracy depends on checks and balances of power among the branches of government. No one should become too powerful in democracy. To secure this principle, there must be theoretical and practical implementations of a separation of power. Many aspects of social and civic life-including entrepreneurship and economic system, free and independent judiciary, and the freedom of expression-are put under the pressure of political power.
Our society has also been challenged by becoming increasingly divided politically. The animosity resulting from political divisions has penetrated so deeply that it harms rather than benefits society. Politicians have hijacked many issues with their own agenda that can and should be solved through the popular participation of people and civil society.

Thanks to the choice of freedom, dramatic changes in information technology and the open door policy of our country, Mongolia no longer remains a lonely planet. It is becoming a part of the global movement of democracy, peace, and development. It is, however, impossible to mobilize a country's wealth and the opportunities of free society without mobilizing its own people. If the people are not well informed and empowered, they can not achieve the common goal of making their country a better place to live.

One of the essential elements of the empowerment of the powerless is the establishment of just laws and the equal enforcement of those laws for each citizen. Even though we have made improvements in our legal system, we are still far from delivering real power and equity to our citizens. For example, we have laws regulating wrestling and horse race, but we do not have laws guaranteeing access to information about government officials, we do not have the rights to recall an elected official who violates the public trust, and we do not have independent laws protecting the property rights.

Fourthly, may I suggest that even though the problems appear to be complex, the solution can be simple. THE SOLUTION IS TO LET PEOPLE DECIDE. It is essential to the success of democracy and free markets that the people have stronger and more direct voices on the issues that affect their interests.
One way to give the people greater voice in the government is to increase the opportunities for direct participation of the people in decision making and the empowerment of civil society. According to the human development reports of the United Nations, the average citizen of some advanced democracies participates in different polls, elections, and local or central level decision-making more than 20 times a year.

The other way to give the people greater influence over government is by using information technology to better serve our people's needs. The latest surveys by the World Bank show that, in some developed countries-as well as in highly successful transition counties such as Poland, the Czech Republic, and Estonia-where networked government projects have been implemented, considerable parts of government services are provided through the internet. In those countries, people can receive government services 24 hours a day, seven days a week without needing to resort to bribery and without any concern for partisanship, bureaucratic hassles, or other subjective impediments to obtaining the needed government services. In Mongolia, the government can serve our people much better if we initially introduce direct participatory democracy and networked governance.

Only implementation of technological advancement, values of freedom and rule of law can make all nations equal regardless of economic and military might.

I believe the real secret to democratic government in advanced parts of the world is found in the rule of law, not in their representative governments, military power, or multi-national corporations. It is the enduring rule of law that allows each citizen to flourish no matter who is in power.
Given this opportunity, as one of the representatives of the international civil society forum which began its work a few days ago here, I would like stress the importance of civil society. Government does not exist in a vacuum. If government represents the body of society, then civic initiatives constitute its soul.

In Mongolia one of startling developments since the transition from authoritarianism to democracy was the rise of civic organization. In fact, the development of democracy and the formation of NGOs have been inextricably linked to one another from their inception. Civic organizations have often been at the forefront of the political struggle against authoritarian rule while, at the same time, the process of democratization has stimulated the growth of NGOs.
We must say no to civic exclusion but say yes to civic inclusion and to civic engagement. In any country, at any time, in any decision making process we must never forget the human presence.
Finally, our values tell us where we need to go. We need also to remind ourselves of where we do not want to end up. Gandhi once told of seven social sins, which must be avoided at all cost. These sins were: politics without principle, wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, and worship without sacrifice.

The idea of freedom is as old as Plato's time and as newly incarnated as thirteen years ago, but its implementation is always new and challenging.

At a time when we are seeing unprecedented economic growth and prosperity, we are also seeing depressing levels of human need and extreme human suffering. While wealth accumulates in the hands of a privileged few, more than 1.3 billion people live on an income of less than one dollar per day. While only one fifth of the world's population is enjoying fruits of a well functioning democracy and a well deserved dignity, almost two third of humanity is experiencing total despotism, brutal violations of their basic rights and lack of freedom.

All of us can do something. No dream is too big, and no step is too small. When you put your talents to work for the good of your community, you are helping the world. You are letting your light shine. Best wishes for a successful conference.