Hatnaa, Einkhtaivan (our driver) and I were finishing up lunch at the New Century Restaurant (real Mongolian cuisine) when Hatnaa's phone rang. He talked excitedly for a few minutes and then announced "Let's finish up. We've been invited to Parliament. MP (Member of Parliament) Sundui Batbold wants to meet with us!
I don't know about you, but I've never been invited to meet a member of the US Congress much less an MP in Mongolia. We're about to have an incredible experience - maybe once in a lifetime experience. The State Great Hural consists of 76 elected representatives in a unicarmel legislative body. It is rare for "outsiders" to be invited. We sent our credentials to the Government House security agency. Twenty minutes later, I'm presenting my passport and being ushered in to MP Batbold's office.
MP Batbold is also chair of the Parliament's Local Development Committee. When it comes to local economic and community development in the national government, he's the man you want to meet. We spent about 30 minutes discussing local reform in Mongolia and administration of local government in particular. The government wants to empower local decision making, and the 2013 federal budget greatly increases the amount of discretion that local authorities have in terms of their own growth and development. Currently, local elected leaders have little to no real power to effect change in their own communities without the direct say-so of the central government.
We discussed the difficulty in building local capacity to implement reform and the challenges of training local leaders and citizens in an environment where there is no experience in transparency and accountability. Many cities lack even the most basic infrastructure to build upon let alone improve the quality of life amenities that Americans take for granted like roads, parks, sidewalks, water and sanitary sewer systems.
I really appreciated the opportunity to meet and discuss these issues with MP Batbold. I learned a lot about the stark realities and challenges that he and his fellow legislators face in transforming a nation from a communist form of governance to a democracy and free market economy. These are issues that I've encountered in every single meeting that I've had while in Mongolia.
I don't know about you, but I've never been invited to meet a member of the US Congress much less an MP in Mongolia. We're about to have an incredible experience - maybe once in a lifetime experience. The State Great Hural consists of 76 elected representatives in a unicarmel legislative body. It is rare for "outsiders" to be invited. We sent our credentials to the Government House security agency. Twenty minutes later, I'm presenting my passport and being ushered in to MP Batbold's office.
MP Batbold is also chair of the Parliament's Local Development Committee. When it comes to local economic and community development in the national government, he's the man you want to meet. We spent about 30 minutes discussing local reform in Mongolia and administration of local government in particular. The government wants to empower local decision making, and the 2013 federal budget greatly increases the amount of discretion that local authorities have in terms of their own growth and development. Currently, local elected leaders have little to no real power to effect change in their own communities without the direct say-so of the central government.
We discussed the difficulty in building local capacity to implement reform and the challenges of training local leaders and citizens in an environment where there is no experience in transparency and accountability. Many cities lack even the most basic infrastructure to build upon let alone improve the quality of life amenities that Americans take for granted like roads, parks, sidewalks, water and sanitary sewer systems.
I really appreciated the opportunity to meet and discuss these issues with MP Batbold. I learned a lot about the stark realities and challenges that he and his fellow legislators face in transforming a nation from a communist form of governance to a democracy and free market economy. These are issues that I've encountered in every single meeting that I've had while in Mongolia.
MP Sundui Batbold, State Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia
Several foreign delegations are in UB this week. The Thailand delegation is staying at my hotel. On the way to Parliament, we caught a glimpse of the military band preparing for a state welcoming ceremony in front of Government House. They were decked out in their traditional Mongolian regalia. Very cool!
Mongolian State Ceremony on Sukhbaatar Square in front of Government House
My good friend Marco Polo and me hanging out in Parliament!
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