Edited by ITOFO.J

MP E. Bat-Uul has expressed his views on the death penalty, politics, and society in an interesting interview with “news.mn.”

On the abolishment of the death penalty, the MP offers his full support to the President’s conviction about the death penalty, underlining that his move on a moratorium has greatly increased Mongolia’s reputation among European countries.

He acknowledges the fact that the cause may find very little support in a country where citizens take the death penalty as part of life, and being used to it, are naturally resistant to any sudden change.

E. Bat-Uul justified his opinion concerning the abolishment of the death penalty saying nobody cares to explore the reason why a crime was committed in the first place and how the maximum punishment can be misused, citing many examples when innocents were sentenced to death.

Political motivation was the first to be mentioned by the MP who recalled that if Mongolia had succeeded in its attempt to abolish the death penalty in 1922, thousands of monks would not have been massacred in 1939 only because the law permitted it.

Secondly, he stressed that judges are not perfect, just men by nature, and can always be wrong. Therefore mistakes will undoubtedly be committed during trials and innocent people executed as a consequence.

Thirdly, he explained that death penalty is defined by rules regardless of the motives and the many factors which might lead to the crimes.

Finally, the DP MP rejected the idea that the abolishment of the death sentence will burdened tax payers by explaining that currently, only 20 among 6000 people have been given the death sentence and feeding them will not make much difference to the economy. If society is not ready to feed the occupants of its jails, it might as well “just close the prisons and free the prisoners” he said.

Interestingly, he stated that a man dies with his secrets and maybe without remorse, putting an end to the chances of unravelling the complete truth and eventually punish the real persons behind a crime.

On the subjects of politics and society, E. Bat-Uul has been strong opinionated in his interview. He declared he has stopped caring about reforming a political party or dismissing a Government. “Society needs much bigger changes, something akin to a revolution,” he said, adding it will “not come by reforming a party or replacing a Prime Minister with another.”

According to him, “officials continue with their old goals without realizing that society is longing for a complete overhaul, and only think of their respective parties not realizing they have to adopt revolutionary policies to meet people’s demands.”

The MP believes politicians are busier protecting the rights of those in the government than those of the people who elected them. He exposed politicians counter productivity by described Mongolian people as “chess players, trying to know what the other person is about to do” and said that expecting everyone else to be alike was just “childish”. He stressed the need for politicians to meet more ordinary people and go to the countryside in order to realize what the country needs and what people want, which is revolution, change. “The people know the present situation is not right and do not approve of the economy, the policy, and the ethics behind both.”

E. Bat-Uul suggested to revolutionize the country’s political structure by having a lower chamber in Parliament whose members will come from the soums and regions to free political control from the hands of a few and “de-privatize” Ministries and government organizations. For the MP, a revolution must take place in Mongolia’s society and politics to change a system that sustains the country’s oligarchy.

But when talking about revolution, E. Bat Uul does not, unlike a small minority, encourage violence, far from it. The DP MP preaches “calmness,” recalling the July 1 incidents, before to further declare that situation would be worst if violence were to lead decision making, citing as examples African countries in a constant state of civil war.

The MP believes that any violent revolution would kill the democracy, and the taking of political power through forceful means will only promote the use of force in any future political decision making, leading the country into the hands of successive dictators. E. Bat-Uul believes that if 100 or 200 people die in a protest, society will never be stable because behind each dead person will be 2000 with a stronger reason to protest, and 1000 people thirsty for revenge are stronger than 1 million people asking for peace.