230. LOCAL GOVERNANCE
230.
Panel Title : LOCAL GOVERNANCE
Chair : Sumita Sen
Panel Abstract :
Tradition and modernity in terms of socio-political, institutional practices are common to Asian countries. Countries like India, Bhutan, Japan and Taiwan in recent decades are witnessing sweeping changes in many areas reflecting the existence of tradition and modernity. Analysis of the ethnic conflicts, struggle for cultural identities, changing political, social, strategic and economic realities having strong impact upon the power relations and the overall decision making process so essential in governance, also indicate the direction of developments within theses societies. Through the process of democratization ,political and institutional reforms are some of the manifestations of grassroot movements establishing new power equations at different levels of governance and the ultimate movement towards empowerment of the civil society as precondition for implementation of democratic norms at the local levels.
Participants :
Stephen Shang Tseh Chou
Paper Title : From a War of Symbols to the Triumph of Ritual: Ritualization of Taiwanese
Politics in Recent Decades
Abstract :
July 15, 2007 will be the twentieth anniversary of lifting the martial law in Taiwan, which marked the beginning of a prolonged period of discord and vociferation. Due to the agitation in Taiwan's political realm in the last two decades, issues of conflict and struggle have been of interest to scholars in various fields. Most of recent studies focus on the effects of party competition, ideological conflict, or the differences in ethnic and cultural identities of the Taiwanese. My research, however, centers on the ritualization of Taiwan's political struggle since the 1980's. I will argue that the logic in ritualization has gradually grown to dictate the course of political actions and strategies, which cannot be fully understood in terms of those social, political, and cultural factors mentioned above. Ritual is a useful instrument in maintaining or changing power relations that bond the members of an organization or identify their common enemies. The political rituals that this research identifies refer to the formalized, public acts whose forms are borrowed or revised from established precedents. They include, but are not limited to, state ceremonies, commemoration, rallies and demonstrations, public speeches of leaders, and all the other staged performances that convey certain values or positions through the display of symbols. With regard to this study, the KMT has employed a wide variety of Chinese symbols in political rituals to legitimize its rule on the island. The opposition forces in its early stage also began to undermine KMT's legitimacy by rewriting its public rituals or creating their own ceremonies invested with native symbols of Taiwan. The rivalry in the use of ritual has become even more vehement since the DPP's assumption of power. The two sides, symbolized by the colors of blue and green, display their power and distinguish between each other's supporters in various forms of ritual. Ritual becomes an arena for power struggle. Through formalized activities the political parties are eager to flaunt identity-laden symbols, such as those of Taiwan vs. China, to rally support to their causes. Many mass demonstrations are conducted to attract media coverage and public attention. Legitimacy is another important concern. Through staged acts political leaders attempt to illustrate personal merits acknowledged in traditional Chinese culture or modern democratic practice. The number of participants in a mass movement is also very often interpreted as a proof of legitimacy in democracy. Therefore in the past twenty years many activities have been devised as ritual or theatrical performance because of their dramatic qualities. While rituals can be used to promote solidarity among the supporters, they also highlight the boundaries between the advocates and their rivals, and sometimes even provoke violent antagonism by accentuating their uncompromising differences. The rituals used in such a context are evidently intended to eliminate opposition that legal and political means have failed to eradicate. The observed effects of the complicated application and manipulation of various rituals make the topic worth being explored especially in light of the intensified competition between the parties. This paper may be the first attempt to examine the transforming power of ritual on politics in the context of democratization in Taiwan. When both the government and its opposition increasingly rely upon rituals to acquire support, I will argue, the inner logic of this particular ritualization development has gradually taken over and presided over the course of political actions. The logic in question leads not to reconciliation, but contest, which runs rampant in the competition in the scale, intensity, and creativity of rival performances. Furthermore, democracy yields legitimacy to public rituals in the name of mass participation. That is, public rituals can be transformed into holy rites because they signify democratic values, and thus the participation in these rites becomes a moral requirement. In addition to the fact that ritual serves politics, we also see the other side of the picture that political actions also serve to fulfill the demands of ritual. No one party but ritual itself is the ultimate victor. I hope that this paper can serve as an introductory study that invites future collaborations with scholars in other disciplines. These include communication on the role of media, theater on the performative aspect of public activities, history on the re-shaping of common memory, and foreign relations on Taiwan's changing policies towards China, as well as comparative studies of ritualization in other regions and periods.
Sumita Sen
Paper Title : Drukpaisation of Bhutan's Society and the Identity
Abstract :
South Asia represents a region of tradition and modernity,a region of poverty and high growth, a region of rich natural resources,a region of multi culture,multi religion,ideologies,political systems,a region of ethnic and political tensions and conflicts etc.The kingdom of Bhutan ,a landlocked state between India and China, presents some of the significant features of South Asia today. Bhutanese society is predominantly agrarian with a strong affiliation to religion and customs.The society comprises the ethnic groups of Sharchops,Ngalongs,Khengs and the Lhotsampas.The history of their migration and settlement in Bhutan brought marginalisation and domination by one group or the other made its way to social movements and then followed by ethnic conflict and demands for "Bhutanese" identity. The introduction of the Citizenship Act,the Marriage Act followed by the Census operation and the introduction of "Driglam Nam Za"(the code of social ettiquette)indicated the imposition of the monocultural practice in the entire society also known as "Drukpaisation".This started the social movement for recognition of multiculturalism,democracy and a call for change in the goverance.Thus began the politicisation of the bhutanese society. The directly afflicted group of the Lhotsampas were the most to be losing in every sphere of social life. The result was the flight of these into the neighbouring countries for their human security.The developments within the bhutanese society seriously attacted the regional and international institutions . The ethnic conflict in Bhutan developed into a movement both for the democratisation of the Bhutanese polity and society. The political reforms introduced by the king are expected to make strong impact on the political system of Bhutan and is also expected to bring the society more closer to the developments sweeping Asia. The case of Bhutan at the same time does not prescribe to the advocacy of "clash of civilisations".Secondly, monoculturalism is also not a vialble means of governance.More over, the marginalisation staus of any group will not let the society in peace for future human development and security.
Gesine Foljanty Foljanty
Paper Title : Local Governance in Japan: Democratization and the Reestablishment of
Local Autonomy
Abstract :
Since the late 1990ies decentralization reforms have been introduced by the central government of Japan. This was not the first time, but unlike former initiatives the reforms offer preconditions for extended local autonomy and an inclusion of a plurality of political actors, which might constitute a profound change in the political system of Japan as well as of the political culture. The paper will explore the implementation of decentralization reforms and the extent to which local autonomy and local democracy has increased. It will analyse changes in the policy-making process at the local level and new forms of partnership between citizens and local governments and will ask how far the reforms have the capacity to eliminate former obstacles to local autonomy. The analysis will demonstrate that changes are profound with regard to the innovative role local governments are now going to play in domestic politics. The traditional vertical structure of public administration is diminishing in favor of extended local autonomy. Political responses of local governments to decentralisation indicate that local governments are prepared to integrate citizens into the policy-making process and are prepared to support the empowerment of local civil society.
