Deliberative democracy may find fertile ground in Southeast Asia

There are various means of doing so, including citizens’ meetings, for example, where randomly selected groups of citizens come together to discuss topics and issues that are most relevant, and the discussion can take the form of mini-publics.

They provide solutions through recommendations and in some cases, even make binding decisions.

Exactly one year ago, I delved into the problem of this passage, and I wrote in a very curious tone, and I must admit the following:

„Southeast Asia may want to become a Shangri-La of sorts, not only a full-fledged hub for geopolitical and strategic security debates, but also a hub for democratic renewal”.

In that column, I interviewed John S. Dryzek, Centenary Professor at the Center for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra.

One of my interests is to understand how deliberative practices can move to the next level, becoming mainstream and embedded in current liberal systems centered on voting and periodic elections.

„The mainstreaming of deliberative practices and innovations like mini-publics is good, but not enough to radically change the dial when it comes to the deliberative qualities of larger political organizations,” Dryjek explained.

I’m still interested in finding out what can be done to elevate deliberative practices to help improve or change the way democracy works.

Don’t get me wrong: I believe that educators need to discuss, discuss, discuss, discuss, and research.

A few months ago, the University of Canberra, one of the global pillars of such inquiry, co-organized with two Finnish colleagues. University And this University of TurkuSixth Edition of the Deliberative Democracy Summer School.

Its goals are key: „to foster a safe, supportive and interactive space where participants can present their current work and receive valuable feedback”.

Fortunately, deliberative democracy is expanding at the grassroots level, with more and more examples of debating and deliberative citizen coming together.

Pressing issues like climate change motivate people and motivate them to invest their time in deliberative practices.

Although predominantly in the North there are many initiatives around the world.

Organizations like People Powered, DemocracyNext, The Federation for Innovation in Democracy-Europe (FIDE), newDemocracy Foundation, to name a few, are real trailblazers.

Interestingly, there is a great deal of debate going on in the North about how discursive practices should not be seen as the dominant field of inquiry.

Here at the University of Canberra’s Center for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance is undertaking bold research.

For example, Ricardo F. Mendonza, professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, and Hans Aschenbaum, senior researcher at the center and summer school coordinator, wrote „Theories of deliberative democracy are grounded in this modern logic and, therefore, struggle to challenge deep colonial inequalities”.

Nicole Curado, one of the most prominent scholars of the debate in the entire Asia Pacific and Professor of Political Sociology at the University of Canberra, is breaking new ground. Discourse Discursive Practices of Decolonization.

As liberal democracies are under pressure in the North and the South, it is critical to move beyond narratives shaped solely by the industrialized and developed world.

Educators should be supported to engage in theoretical discussion about the debate, but also help them move beyond their comfort zones.

Could more of these academic exercises, such as summer school, be available at many universities in developing and emerging countries?

How can well-intentioned but at the same time disaffected scholars, or those beginning their journeys of discovery in logical democracies, be encouraged and supported to enter the field?

How then can the same academics move beyond their university circles?

For example, what about collaborative exercises between educators and practitioners to talk and discuss deliberative democracy with high school students?

I guess no one has a clear answer on how to mainstream deliberative democracy, but some steps are being taken.

There is a need to link deliberative practices to the much broader and (more general) domain of civic engagement and create mass awareness.

On the other hand, there is a need for intelligent lobbying to introduce deliberative practices within existing political elites.

In this case, there have been some successes. For example, another component of the wider debate toolkit, deliberative polling, was successfully used to amend Mongolia’s constitution.

It is noteworthy that we have a leading Asian democratic nation, which is certainly absent in the world view.

Regarding the future, I would like us to set a timeline so that deliberative practices can really be mainstreamed.

In fact, whether we tend to ignore it or we forget it, it is 2030.

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 16.6 and 16.7 speak to something more closely related to the discussion: the former is to „build effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels”, while the latter is to „ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making”. – Creation at all levels.

An interesting idea might be to organize an additional summer school in Ulaanbaatar.

What about Jakarta, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok or even Bandar Seri Begawan? A festival of deliberative democratic practices in South Asia, a non-intimidating platform where academics engage with practitioners and university and high school students alike as interested citizens?

Would donors like Australia or the European Union support such efforts?

An international award is brought annually to recognize the best debating practices in the Asia-Pacific region.

Thinking long term and looking at what is happening around the world, this support will be real value for money.

Meanwhile, a message from the poster summarizing the main events of the Canberra Summer School is revealing and inspiring: „ambition to think positively to imagine the possibilities”.

This is what all those who care about democracy should hold. After all, it is still possible to envision 2030 as the year when deliberative practices in the Asia Pacific and beyond really begin.