At the 67th regular session of the UN General Assembly in New York City President Elbegdorj took the floor and told a story far different from reality.
Elbegdorj said that one of the main goals in Mongolia’s transition to democracy was to establish a society ruled by law. According to Elbegdorj, the core principle of democracy is that no one is above the law and “that includes everyone from high government officials to ordinary citizens.” And though Mongolia is a young democracy, under his leadership Mongolia is indeed governed by the rule of law and corruption is harshly punished. Elbegdorj called corruption the “mortal enemy” of democracy in developing countries.
These assertions are incredibly out of place considering the politically motivated trial and imprisonment of former Mongolian President Enkhbayar. Throughout Enkhbayar’s trial the judiciary continually demonstrated its lack of independence with state prosecutors twisting the facts and key witnesses kept from testifying.
To be sure, this was at the behest of Elbegdorj and an integral part of his strategy for winning the parliamentary elections last month. As I have written before, Enkhbayar is Elbegdorj’s largest political threat and he would much prefer him out of the spotlight, no matter the cost to democracy in Mongolia.
In light of this, Elbegdorj’s speeches at the UN as well as at Harvard University wherein he referred to Mongolia as the “democratic anchor of the East” are certainly an indication that Elbegdorj has no interest in justice for Enkhbayar or in abiding by the rule of law in Mongolia.
Elbegdorj told the packed audience in the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum that “we need to make sure that people have the power and that there is transparency and accountability in government.”
Indeed, the fact that Elbegdorj has been welcomed to such great institutions indicates that the international community has not done enough to expose his true character and policies. His alleged support of human rights, openness and justice has been directly called into question by such bodies as Amnesty International during Enkhbayar’s arrest. And public opinion in Mongolia continues to indicate a lack of awareness for the facts of Enkhbayar’s case.
It is never too late to support an important cause and Enkhbayar’s future certainly qualifies. As Elbegdorj continues to tell the world of Mongolia’s place as the “current leader in freedom” it is all the more imperative that we fight back in whatever way we can to expose the corruption in his regime.
