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From Communism
to Capitalism in the
Land
of Genghis Khan
by Vincent H. Miller
Elbegdorj Tsakhia enjoys dinner at
Fisherman's Wharf with ISIL execs.
We Meet Mongolia's
"Thomas Jefferson"
In 2003, ISIL VP Jim Elwood and I were very pleased to enjoy an
afternoon discussing the prospects for liberty in Mongolia with former Mongolian prime minister
Elbegdorj Tsakhia* who had been on a visit to the San Francisco Bay Area, speaking at Stanford
University. He had just concluded a visit with Milton and Rose Friedman before joining with us on a
short walking tour from Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf.
Elbegdorj was described by ISIL Director Louis James, who met him at
one of the Mackinac Center Leadership Seminars in Michigan last year, as Mongolia's "Thomas Jefferson."
We will certainly see why in this report.
Rising from humble beginnings as a herdsman's son, Elbegdorj began
his ascent to fame as a sergeant submitting poetry to his army newspaper. His exceptional writing
talents came to the attention of army brass, and he soon found himself studying military journalism on
a scholarship in the Soviet Union (Ukraine).
It was a stimulating time for him to be in the Soviet Union, as this
was the time of Glasnost and Peristroika. He could witness first-hand the unraveling of empire, and
take mental notes as to how the iron-fisted grip of the Soviets was weakening.
Ironically, in a few short years he would became editor-in-chief of
Mongolia's first free newspaper dedicated to the difficult task of moving public opinion away from
communism towards a free society.
"It's very difficult to live in a free society after having all
decisions made for you by 'the bosses'" he said.
"I'm trying to persuade people that government is a bad thing –
not all government – but excessive intervention in people's lives," he exclaimed, adding, "free
people can create wonderful things."
A Communist Regime Toppled
As the Soviet's ability to project power and maintain top-down
control on the fringes of their empire weakened, Elbegdorj, sensing the time was ripe, moved to throw
off the imperial chains. He organized a series of mass protests that ultimately led to a constitutional
convention and multi-party elections.
The communist dictatorship that had ruled Mongolia for 70 years fell
without a shot being fired.
Quickly rising through the ranks, Elbegdorj became majority leader
in parliament, a position he maintained for four years. During this time, as president of the
Entrepreneurs Association, he introduced measures to transfer property from socialist collective farms
into private hands – helping herders own their own livestock.
Then at the young age of 35 he was elected Prime Minister.
A flurry of major reforms followed – freedom of the press,
freedom of speech and the freedom to travel, to name a few. 70% of state-run enterprises were
privatized and, as with UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's privatization of the council houses in
England, state-owned apartments were switched to private ownership. Elbegdorj received the Star of
Press Freedom award in 2000 for his efforts to establish and contribute to the protection of a free
press – and the Star of Liberty Award for his contributions to the establishment of Mongolian
democracy.
But the road to economic recovery after 70 years of socialism
included some hard bumps – particularly when his party abolished price controls and allowed
market pricing mechanisms to prevail. Elbegdorj knew massive economic dislocations would occur during
the adjustment period, but did it anyway. "It had to be done," he noted. Fixing the damage done by
seven decades of communist rule would not be achieved without some pain. Unfortunately his party was
defeated at the next election.
Not many politicians we know have that kind of courage.
A Focus on Education
In the last few years Elbegdorj has concentrated much of his energies
on education – particularly that of young people and students. Immediately upon his return to
Ulaanbaatar from his US tour, he delivered a series of lectures on developmental issues at the National
University of Mongolia (to very receptive audiences, we are told). He has also been reaching Mongolian
students on a nation-wide web network, discussing the ideas of liberty on-line. "Many students are
enthusiastic about the freedom of cyberspace," he noted.
In recent correspondence he informed us that there are plans in the
works to create a body of free-market literature in Mongolia. He is currently working with friends
to translate and publish the famous works of Ludwig von Mises, F.A. Hayek, Milton Friedman, Hernando De
Soto, Frédéric Bastiat, and Mark Skousen.
We had already presented Elbegdorj with a copy of the Mongolian
edition of Ken Schoolland's The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible at our meeting in San
Francisco and had discussed ways in which ISIL could help his educational efforts – such as
providing a Free-Market.net partnership (and introducing him to members of our network who have
faced and overcome similar challenges).
The Liberty Center –
Defending Human Rights
Elbegdorj founded and is president of the Liberty Center, a Mongolian
think tank that is promoting the reform of political and justice systems in Mongolia. He has become
actively involved in the Liberty Center's work in advancing freedom throughout the region.
In September 2003, 26 refugees from North Korea were caught and
arrested by Mongolian border officers. A great cry arose over fears that the Mongolian government
might send the refugees back into the hands of the North Korean dictators.
Elbegdorj stated emphatically: "Mongolia should not turn its back on
these refugees who tried to find freedom and escape the hell of communism."
Ms. Oyuntsetseg of the Liberty Center echoed this sentiment: "Our
government may be on the horns of a dilemma on what to do, but (many of us) are willing to welcome the
North Korean refugees to our homes and share our freedom and food with them. We really do wish to help
them."
The Liberty Center then launched a signature drive in support of the
refugees.
This year The Liberty Center team also launched an initiative to free
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Sue Kyi who had been imprisoned by the Burmese military junta
(and who is likely to be released from house arrest soon, according to news reports).
The Present
Mongolia is expecting a new parliamentary elections this coming June. Elbegdorj reports that he is
utilizing his time and effort to unite opposition parties into one strong coalition and to assist in
rafting a new platform. But he has refused to take a leadership position in the coalition, preferring
to act as a unifying figure.
You can find out a whole lot more about Elbegdorj Tsakhia first-hand
if you attend ISIL's World Liberty Summit to be held in Rotorua, New Zealand (July 21-26, 2004). He
will be a featured speaker.
We are currently working with Elbegdorj to issue conference scholarships
to Mongolian students. He is now seeking funding to cover air travel for students and ISIL is
covering conference fees, hotel and meals under the scholarship program.
If you would like to help sponsor students to this event (from
Mongolia – and other parts of the world) your donations are most welcome. You can mail a check
to ISIL or make donations on-line.
*Tsakhia, following the Mongolian practice is referred to by his first name. So we too will follow Mongolian practice.
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