A month and a half have passed since the government’s complex plan of dedicating 10 trillion tugriks to protect citizens’ health and recover the economy was approved. Mongolia continues to fight the coronavirus in its health sector and the plague of corruption in its economy. Perhaps, the former will be stopped this upcoming summer. Meanwhile, there’s a need to discuss and contemplate when and how to stop the latter’s spread. We have to take some measures.
The plague and immunity in health
The pandemic started spreading relatively late in Mongolia, around October. Strict lockdown was enforced three times when the total numbers of cases reached 500, 1000, 2000, respectively. Following the former government’s replacement, the approach of fighting the viral spread changed, and the program “One door-one test” was implemented. With 7000 cases now, there’s no strict lockdown, and the activities in some sectors are halted until May 17.
As of today (210407), 12,226 people were infected in total, and half of them recovered while the other half is being treated, and 21 people passed away. Forty percent of the newly infected are now treated at home. The world average of deaths among the infected is 2.2 percent, whereas, in our country, the rate is 15 times lower, or, 0.17 percent.
The absence of a strict lockdown in Mongolia is linked to the economic damages and the introduction of vaccines 40 days ago. As of April 7, 467 thousand people had their first dose of the vaccine. All adults will have received two doses, and the economy will open by July 1, said Prime Minister L.Oyun-Erdene. Thanks to Mongolia’s relatively small population of 3.3 million – if the government rushes the vaccine supplies and manages to vaccinate 30 thousand people a day- the objective can be met fully. The immunity against the COVID-19 pandemic can be bought.
The plague and immunity in economy
In contrast, it is impossible to buy or import immunity against the plague of corruption engraved in the economy. This plague spread with the dawn of the new century, starting with mining licenses followed by underground deals of land deeds in Ulaanbaatar. Nobody has a hold over it now.
Today, the government is implementing the special program of 10 trillion tugriks, an amount equal to the annual state budget, to revive the economy, which includes:
- Loans in the amount of 2 trillion tugriks with a yearly interest rate of 3% with 3 years of term to small and medium enterprises.
- 500 billion tugriks to fund a two-month training with a 500 thousand tugriks stipend to prepare the youth for employment and encourage a healthy and active lifestyle.
- 3 trillion tugriks to fund infrastructure development and land issue for “Youth I, II, III” apartment complexes to be built in Ulaanbaatar, their unified blueprint, and soft mortgage loans.
- 2 trillion tugriks to implement large scale projects and programs of strategic significance.
- 500 billion tugriks to support agricultural production, herders’ income and livelihood.
- Increasing the annual repo financing of the Bank of Mongolia to 2 trillion tugriks from the current amount of 1 billion tugriks.
However, the possibility of realizing all these projects without corruption is low because corruption is present deep in society. Despite raising this issue for many years, it was normalized that incidents of corruption cases don’t get prosecuted, and if charged, no compensation is paid. And jailed criminals are even released soon after.
The Mongolian judiciary system itself has become part of corruption, a cave. All the recent cases verify this. Some notable cases are: the murder of the late S. Zorig; prosecutors opening and closing cases for people on the instructions of the President (DP leader S. Erdene stated publicly); a particular judge’s plan and the execution of whom and when to prosecute; the MPP’s 60 billion tugriks case; the purchase of 49% of the Erdenet mine from the Russians by the owner of the Trade and Development Bank using state money; the land theft of the Bogd Mountain foothills, and the countless cases regarding the management of state-owned companies.
As corruption is flourishing in all corners of the state, justice is vanishing. As justice vanishes, opportunities for individuals to work and earn a living and for companies to compete fairly disappear. Unemployment rises, businesses close, and social unrest increases. Alcoholism and depression are rampant in society, and the way people attack, insult, and use derogatory terms on each other is far from humane.
Reforms in the judiciary and making it independent from political influence are needed urgently as well as enforcing transparency in political party funding and a complete crackdown on electoral fraud using blockchain technology. The digitalization of all government services has to be extended. Those who steal Bogd Mountain land must be held accountable, their assets taxed on the market value, and the revenue needs to be spent on stopping the ger districts from using the pit latrines. Immunity against corruption will be built if the government takes action urgently, and if the citizens strongly demand actions. The anti-corruption vaccine begins with the freedom of choice for everyone in a democracy, as well as the freedom to inspect and put demands on the electorate and the government. The fact that many of us now demand cash and welfare, as if we live for the government, not for ourselves, is a clear indication of the people being deeply trapped in populist plots of politicians to exploit the people. We call for an end to the corona plague this summer and the corruption epidemic in the near future.
2021.04.08
Trans. by Riya.T and Munkh-Erdene.D