From Representative to Participatory

Editorial:-
Sikkim has been enjoying representative democracy for close to four decades now and it is time that this structure was reinforced further with participatory democracy. It is time not only because democracy has matured in the seven Assembly elections the people have participated in as a democracy, but also because there are too many conflicting ideas being thrown up which can be addressed only if the people invest involvement in democracy beyond the [admittedly healthy] casting of votes.
But what is participatory democracy all about? Essentially, it involves informing, discussing and listening. These are actually prerequisites of a democracy, but the people tend to end their participation with the ballot. While elected leaders are fine for governance, when tricky issues need to be resolved, the people have to increase their involvement. It is however not easy for the people to set up such engagements on their own. And this is where the role of the elected representatives becomes more important - they have to initiate the process of participatory democracy. It serves their purpose also because then they can truly understand the aspirations of the people and act accordingly. By doing so, they not only serve the people better but also secure their own political futures. The task is not easy though; the public does not and will not speak in one voice, but with many voices, raising different demands. And while a multitude of demands is not a problem, conflicting demands and conflicting interests pose a problem. Within any area there are many communities and with every issue, there are many lines of conflict. What the mediator has to look for is the other common factor – the lines of cooperation and begin the process from there. The development of participatory democracy, if successful, would extend the range of voices beyond those normally heard.
The importance of discussion in participatory democracy is to establish awareness about different positions, to test them against other and wider concerns and to see whether, through discussion, new positions can be reached which, even if they cannot reconcile differences, at least explore how far they can be reconciled. It is the roles of elected representatives to aid that process and in the end, if required, balance mediate and judge the differing views. The process, however, has to be quick because no matter how pressing the issue, the people cannot be expected to sustain a continuing involvement for too long; they have too many other issues demanding their attention. They should be called in for a short period for a particular commitment and made to hear the issues in depth, given an opportunity to question and challenge and then asked to give their views. Ideally, this process is safest in the hands of a civil society, but Sikkim does not have one yet. The process of mediation and initiation will have to be started by the elected representatives at their respective levels. And this will be a healthy engagement for them and a welcome change from their usual responses which is to please and placate the people.