By Marissa J. Smith
The #огцор hashtag is back (#cancelPM #огцор9 #ОгцорEC) after PM Oyun-Erdene made comments about drafting young women, who were characterized as getting married and having children at a young age rather than working, as he chaired the National Committee on Gender meeting on Friday, March 5.
Despite much fanfare around Oyun-Erdene’s youth, to this analyst these comments harken back to the 1980s, when countries throughout the Eastern Bloc sought to power through economic stagnation by severely disciplining youth.
Mongolian women have much higher graduation rates than do men, yet have lower rates of formal employment, earn less, and hold many fewer higher level positions. More often working in the informal sector, as detailed in a December 2020 ADB report women have in some ways been even more impacted than men by COVID19-related hits to the Mongolian and global economies.
The following clip began circulating on twitter on Friday:
Эмэгтэйчүүд ажил хийхгүй, эрт гэрлээд байвал цэрэгт явуулах шаардлагатай байж магадгүй гэж хэлсэн ЕС-ын үг.
Жендэрийн үндэсний хорооны хуралдаан бүрэн эхээр: https://t.co/YkApBmBViF pic.twitter.com/KKBqXPHIr6
— Бонтой Бадралын МӨНХДӨЛ (@MBBontoi) March 6, 2021
Former multiple-term-MP and potential presidential candidate Ts. Oyungerel responded to the comments on twitter, arguing that young women work very hard raising young children, and that a draft might “send the wrong message,” as if Mongolia were “preparing for war”:
АНУ цэрэг хүйс заадаггүй, албадлагагүй, сайн дурынх байдаг. цалинтай. зөвхөн дайны үед албан татлага хийдэг. манайх албадан цэрэгт татдаг. ялгаатай. хэрэв албадлагын арми руугаа эмэгтэйчүүдээ татвал дайнд бэлтгэж бгаа мэт буруу мессэж болж амгалан тайван байдлаа үймүүлэх аюултай.
— Oyungerel Цэдэвдамба (@oyunlt) March 5, 2021
Хөдөлмөр хийхгүй байх, хийж байгаа хөдөлмөр нь бүртгэлгүй, үнэлгээгүй байх хоёрын ялгааг Ерөнхий сайд олж харахгүй байна уу даа!!! нойргүй хүүхдээ хөхүүлэн хонож буй залуу ээжүүдийн стори инста-гаар дүүрэн… бодвол өдөр жаахан дуг хийхээр тэд идэвхигүй харагддаг юм болов уу?
— Oyungerel Цэдэвдамба (@oyunlt) March 5, 2021
As Bulgan brought to my attention, on Friday PM Oyun-Erdene apologized for “upsetting people before the holiday,” but said that the “content” of his comments rather than their “form” should be paid attention to, by the public and by news media.
One twitter user responded “Resign, in content and in form!”
Хэлбэрээрээ ч, агуулгаараа ч огцор !
— Gantulga.D (@D_Gantulga) March 6, 2021
Monday, March 8, will be Women’s Day, a major public holiday in Mongolia. Some on twitter are calling for a demonstration on the square (#БиОчно), where there is already an exhibition set up on the issue of rampant domestic violence happening “behind closed doors” (see hashtag #Хаалга).
UPDATE:
@hariad_uyanga adds:
His first statement at the Gender Committee, described teenage pregnancy as an anomaly, that these lazy women avoid work force and should be treated with mandatory military. Implying military is a punitive place. Also negating all the care work women do to produce workers.
— Hariad (@hariad_uyanga) March 7, 2021
The next day, he tried to apologise for his statement, but made an even more demeaning statement, implying that the citizens are not smart enough to understand his initial derogatory statement.
Our PM’s words were negating our constitutional law, gender law, and the CEDAW.
— Hariad (@hariad_uyanga) March 7, 2021
(CEDAW is the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women)
The response on Twitter has been swift and markedly sophisticated in the use of hashtags and graphics. The 8>9 motto is a poignant example of that response:
Symbolism of 8>9 slogan?
Protest on Sukhbaatar Sq on March 8 = #WomensDay.
Pronunciation of number 9 = abbreviation for Prime Minister = Ерөнхий сайд = ЕC.
Thanks to @ob2133 & @hariad_uyanga for explaining!
Background? @marissa_j_smith explains: https://t.co/JLzKAsc16q#Mongolia pic.twitter.com/Zc4yLxgMyD— Julian Dierkes (@jdierkes) March 7, 2021
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