Editor’s note

Mongolia effectively manifested its capacity to swiftly respond to the COVID-19 pandemic as early as January 2020 by closing its Chinese borders. However, it has now become evident that the public bestows little faith in the government’s decision to transition the society into the “total readiness stage.” On one hand, measures taken by the Mongolian government during the COVID-19 pandemic abided by the principles of democratic governance and protected civil rights and freedom. However, the rather abrupt transition, along with the dissemination of inconsistent information and unclear regulations on day-to-day activities were more than enough to cast doubt upon the efficacy of the government. In this regard, Ariunbayar Bazarvaani, the CEO of The Academy of Political Education, and Bumdari Dagva-Ochir, Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science of the National University of Mongolia, explore the factors that led to overall public distrust on the government and its capacity to set appropriate measures. Their results show that the Mongolian government’s responses, while adhering to democratic principles, were economically flawed and detrimental to the state budget. The transition into the “total readiness stage” also infringed on human rights. In addition, while the government’s regulations on media were an attempt to control fake news, it may have stifled the media and the freedom of expression.

※ The following are excerpts from the article. For the full text, please check the attached file at the top of this page.

Introduction[1]

As countries around the world have begun to implement their own risk management policies, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared COVID-19, the new infectious disease, a pandemic. According to article 11.2 and 11.3.3 of the Law on Disaster Protection, issued by the State Emergency Committee (SEC) on February 13, 2020, the “high level of readiness” against COVID-19 was partially initiated in Mongolia. This resolution was pursuant to Article 4, Resolution No. 62 of the February 12, 2020 Resolution of Government of Mongolia. [2]  The Law on Disaster Protection identifies and specifies the measures for three levels of readiness to combat the coronavirus: everyday level of readiness, high level of readiness and all-out level or readiness.

In Mongolia, the first verified community transmission case was announced on November 11 and as suggested by the SEC, the government shifted country to the “Total Readiness Stage” on November 12. However, there was a strong sense of uncertainty and mistrust in Mongolian society regarding the transition to the “total readiness stage.” The Mongolian government declared the country to be at this level as the first week was filled with panic, with all decision changed daily and discrepancies in the information source. Mongolian citizens also became frustrated with the economic situation of businesses and individuals and the lack of clarity on how to regulate day-to-day activities.

However, the ten months of high alert regulations set by the SEC did not yield substantive results. Therefore, this research aims to study the factors that contributed to the social atmosphere that doubts the viability of government and their ability make appropriate recommendations.

The main goals of the research are the following:

• - To determine whether Mongolia has a political risk management system
• - To identify positive effects of quarantine on governance (the ability to differentiate between populist politicians and whether democratic governance can be more efficient in correcting decisions and information)
• - To identify Psycho-social features that are caused by quarantine and government decisions and their implementations (Psycho-social refers to the interrelationship of social factors and individual attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors). ■

• Bazarvaani Ariunbayar is the CEO of the Academy of Political Education and the project manager of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Mongolia. He holds a Master of Arts in Political Science, Graduate School of Arts and Science, National University of Mongolia.

• Dagva-Ochir Bumdari is an associate professor at the Department of Political Science of the National University of Mongolia. She was awarded a doctoral degree by Kokushikan University in 2013.

• Typeset by Jinkyung Baek, Director of the Research Department
  For inquiries: 02 2277 1683 (ext. 209) I j.baek@eai.or.kr