“What’s the occasion, brothers? What else happened I don’t know, and you are all concerned about and suddenly on the same side? Have some tea. Kumis? Do you want breakfast? I have eaten already, but what about you, people? Anyone, anything?” He looked around and met no smiles or an expression of good feelings. They were hungry but not for food. What was it? Something definitely happened, and they needed his help or his approval. This would not be a leisurely morning.
“Talk, Prime Minister. Please. Why are you here? Why are we all here? Is it a war, an epidemic, a natural disaster? Chinese? Russians? Us?”
This miserable day started for the president somewhat too early and not promising anything good. At two o’clock in the morning, he was rudely awakened by a little Chihuahua dog named Batu Khan, biting him in the ass. This dog was his wife’s pet for a few years already, and she always took him everywhere she went, but not this time. This time, dog, Batu Khan, (what a name for a little dog with a huge ego) stayed home with him, the President. His wife, Bolormaa, went to see her mother, his mother-in-law. She did it every few months staying there with her mother for a few weeks at the time. Her mother would not come to visit them in the palace. She was too proud for that. That was the Mongolian pride that shaped so many mistakes and problems over the centuries yet, it kept the nation together through the turmoil times.
Come to think, was there a time in the Mongolian history that was not troubled? When? The history books had never mentioned that. Was it in your book? It was not in mine. Anyway, President’s mother-in-law was one of these people who went back to the steppes to enjoy nature and to rediscover the ancient roots. Now, she was living in a Yurt and had a few horses, camels and sheep. She also had a few servants assisting her. She was a noblewoman with a lot of money and could afford a few servants and almost anything else. That was like a small village of ten-twelve Yurts in the middle of nomad land. It was interesting that the main Yurt, the centerpiece of the settlement, was of the golden color. Did it mean what it used to mean? Was it a statement of some sort? If it was, that was a very ambitious statement in the country full of very ambitious people. Also, the mother-in-law called it the Golden Sarai that, made some people smile. Well, she could afford it, the president always thought with a thin smile, being the richest woman in the country and maybe a few other countries as well. She could’ve been the richest woman of a few countries even if you put them together.
Her husband, during the Soviet times, was a Minister of Internal Affairs with all associate services reporting to him. He was appointed to the position by the Soviets in about a year after Leonid Brezhnev took over the Kremlin in a putsch and he left the post in about six months after Leonid Brezhnev died. He left the position only because he also died. That was unfortunate, but it happens even to the influential people. What can you do? Otherwise, he would’ve stayed there for eternity. That was one of the best spots to be when the times were good and especially when the times were bad. He was useless as a Minister but extremely useful when it came to bribes. He served with Brezhnev during the Second World War and was the only Mongolian Brezhnev knew or remembered. So, by appointing him to that post, Brezhnev created a friend who would serve him loyally and to the very end.
President’s father-in-law was the most loyal to the Soviets member of the Mongolian Government inner circle. Leonid Brezhnev knew it and let his ministry run free. What bad could they do? The free running agency in any government language meant possible corruption, and in Mongolian, it meant only corruption. Anything could be discussed, and anything could be arranged for the right price, and the price could be paid in many different forms, including the money. Prisons were almost empty and business, both legal and illegal, was booming as never before. It was a good thing, and many justifiably attributed it to the Ministry, of Internal Affairs and its fearless leader. He was the most corrupt Minister of the most corrupt ministry of the most corrupt government in the Socialist Bloc, and that was an accomplishment by itself. Not too many ministers could claim that, and they all were corrupt. How else could you survive the incorruptible corruption of the socialist system? That was the trick in itself. President’s father-in-law was getting very rich, but he never forgot to share with the comrades. That was the deal he never broke. He was considered trustworthy, and everyone liked him. He was friendly, for a price, and that’s for sure. But, he was no more. The good times for the family could’ve been over if not for the President.
That was the time for the Soviets to collect the last tributes, cut the losses and leave, and they did. Brezhnev and his cronies, for example, were always getting gifts worthy the Great Mongolian Khans and some of the internationally admired museums. Concubines, slaves, adventurous hunting, wild parties, the Mongol style, and the beautiful golden tents were always stored away for the Soviet visitors, and they came. They came as often as they could and habitually, in droves. After all, Mongolia was not the only part of the empire fighting for the privilege to pay tribute to the Soviet Politburo. And, the Soviet leaders were all for fairness and why not. In the socialist camp, everyone had a fair chance to recognize the authority and to pay the tribute. That was the right way for those who received and for those who paid to play. Timing, quality, and quantity of gifts were crucial if one wanted to be on the right side of the Soviet masters.
Mongols had the experience, and they continually did it right. It was always a pleasure for the topmost Soviet authorities and the people of trust to visit the Mongolian brothers and to discuss some of the pressing issues. There usually were some pressing matters to discuss. They discussed the problems, and they celebrated the results of discussions, and they took the gifts, and they went back home to recuperate and to get ready for the next round of discussions. “Discussions” with the Mongols had an exhausting nature, and they took time and the strengths. The Soviet leaders, time after time, were pressed to take a vacation, even a small one, after visiting Mongolia with its vast reserves for discussions. Thankfully, everything was friendly, most of the time. Frequently, they went for this badly needed vacation to one of the resorts in another friendly country, somewhere by the sea, river or a lake. It was always somewhere where the weather was as good and friendly as the government was. Doctors often advised doing exactly that. The work of the leader could be quite tiring, and what do you do then. The personal friendship, the relations, between the leaders of the countries was vital for the system of Soviet integration. That’s what counted in the end. One had to be a friend or not to be at all. Was it like in “to be or not to be”? In most cases, that was the question. That is how the Soviet integration worked, to begin with. That was as close to paradise as the socialist system could bring it into being. The leaders would freely give what they would and would take what they could. That was the main driving force and attraction, in addition to the power of life and death, for becoming a leader in any country of the world. Still, most of the leaders in any country of the world could not understand what the citizens were complaining about. Was not it as good for the people as it was for them, the leaders? No matter how hard they worked, people did not appreciate it complaining, criticizing and telling the anecdotes that hurt. What did we do to you? Those anecdotes could offend and badly. They could be true, thus, painful. What about the families? Children… They could link things together. What was wrong with them, people? Everything was done for them, and they just could not enjoy it as the leaders did. Just breathe deep and lay back or bend over when asked or without. Whatever you prefer was good for the leaders. The leaders were on your side. But, people wanted more. Always more. Sorry, there is no more, but we are working on it. Come back tomorrow later. No, people could not understand when enough was enough, but they should. That’s where the big difference between the people and the leaders were. The leaders often knew when to stop, more often than not. There always was another day or night. Yours will be yours. Just move over for now and be, patient. That’s what the leader should learn first and fast.