In Southeast Asia, the last several decades have produced a number of regime transitions and subsequent elections, raising questions about the relationship between elections and democracy. Demands for greater democracy have often involved popular mobilization against autocratic governments, but political observers continue to question the quality of democratic governance. The threat of military veto shadows some electoral processes, while elsewhere, elections have occurred amidst allegedly unfair conditions. As the character of democracy comes more to depend on populations capacities and opportunities to engage the political process, the media s role in reporting and constructing political reality grows increasingly important. How, in these new and often fragile democracies, can the electorate hold elected officials accountable, or make policy making responsive to popular will?
Asia Society and the Open Society Institute held a panel discussion on the process of deepening democracy in Southeast Asia by examining the relationship between formal democratic institutions and actual political conflict. What have been the legacies of the transitions from dictatorship? How has the media s operation in different transitional settings influenced popular participation in the political process? What role have international and regional institutions, such as ASEAN, played in the process?
Moderated by Vince Boudreau, Chair, Political Science Department, City College of New York, the panel featured:
- Kavi Chongkittavorn, Editor of the Nation and former Nieman Fellow at Harvard University;
- Simon Tay, Chairman, Singapore Institute of International Affairs;
- Bambang Harymurti, Editor, TEMPO, Indonesia;
- Sheila Coronel, Executive Director, Center for Investigative Journalism, Philippines.