Representative Donald Payne Leads Delegation to Mongolia and Indonesia

The House Democracy Assistance Commission sent a bipartisan delegation of five House Members to Mongolia and Indonesia from June 29 to July 9, 2007. The trip marked the Commission's seventh congressional delegation since its establishment in 2005. Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ) led the group, which included Reps. David Dreier (R-CA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Jeff Miller (R-FL), and Jim Moran (D-VA).

This was the first visit to Mongolia by an HDAC delegation and the second visit to Indonesia, following a February 2006 delegation.

HDAC's visit to Mongolia inaugurated the Commission's partnership with the Mongolian legislature, the State Great Hural. The visit focused on several key themes in both the parliamentary reform process and in bilateral U.S.-Mongolian relations. Anti-corruption legislation and parliamentary ethics are both key issues in Mongolia and the delegation's meetings underscored the need for continued engagement on those topics between the two legislatures. Discussions also emphasized the need for transparency and accountability in a parliament.

The HDAC delegation met with leaders of the State Great Hural, including new Speaker Danzan Lundeejantsan and the chairs of all seven standing committees in the Hural. In addition, the delegation examined anti-corruption efforts and parliamentary ethics legislation in meetings with the Hural's Subcommittee on Ethics and its parent Committee on State Structures. Outside of the legislature, the delegation met with President Nambaryn Enkhbayar, Prime Minister Miyeegombyn Enkhbold, and Defense Minister Mishigiin Sonompil.

In Indonesia, the Commission examined the reforms in the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) that have taken place since HDAC's first visit there in 2006. Speaker Agung Laksono has formed a Study Team to Improve the Performance of the DPR, which issued a report last December, and an Implementation Team to put the report's findings into action. The HDAC delegation met with Speaker Laksono to discuss these efforts, as well as members of the Implementation Team and of the key reform committees in the DPR during two days of meetings.

Commission Members also broke out into smaller groups and met with Indonesian Members of the DPR to discuss constituent and media relations, which have been a concern of Indonesian legislators. Additionally, the delegation met with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono to discuss a wide range of bilateral issues, including U.S. military assistance, the war in Iraq, and U.N. sanctions on Iran.