P U B L I C S P A C E S F O R U M

M A Y 13, 2010



The Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy conducted a forum on the role of
public spaces in democratic societies. The forum in Thimphu hosted 40 participants
from the media, parliament, civil society organizations and government ministries.

The Director of the Royal Education Council and Stanford Professor Emeritus Mark
Mancall set the event in motion with an informative lecture that sketched out the
necessary foundations of a democracy (public space being salient among them).
Points raised in the lecture included:

• GNH as a resolution to the struggle between Capitalism and Democracy

• The theoretical distinction between “procedural democracy”, which focuses
on procedures and rituals, and “substantive democracy”, which focuses on
genuine public accountability of representative institutions and popular
participation.

• Five important elements of a democracy:

1. Community
2. Trust
3. Mutual respect
4. Solidarity
5. A shared narrative

• Seven building blocks of a democracy:

1. Public Will
2. Citizenship, which involves equality along a horizontal axis
3. Accountability for public actions
4. Equality before the law
5. Self-censorship
6. Media as the 4th Estate
7. Public Space, which requires
a. Access
b. Autonomy
c. Rejection of Hierarchy
d. Rule of Law
e. Quality Participation
A powerpoint accompanied the presentation to illustrate how public spaces have
been the location of public life and of social exchange, protest and cooperation
throughout history. Examples of public spaces included the Agora in Athens, the
Althingi in Iceland, and the Tienanmen Square in Beijing, China.

(A .PDF of Mark’s Lecture can be found on the BCMD Website )

A lively discussion on the subject of Bhutan’s democratic status followed the talk.
Participants discussed a range of topics including:

• Whether a historical precedent for public spaces ever existed in Bhutan

• Small scale as a limiting factor in the development of Bhutan’s democratic
culture
• Internet forums as a substitute for physical public spaces (e.g.
BhutanTimes.com)
• The issue of discipline and decorum in parliament
• Overcoming hierarchy and the prevailing feudal attitudes
• Social costs to democratization
• The necessity of civil society as a mediating space between government and
citizens

In the evaluations, participants expressed a sincere interest in attending similarly

structured forums in the future. Topics suggested for future forums included the
“Role of Media and Civil Society”, “Ethics of Journalism”, and “Media and Critical
Thinking.” Such forums, participants suggested, should be expanded to include a
greater number of participants.

At the forum’s close, it was proposed that participants plan to meet at Clock Tower
Square ASAP to continue the dialogue initiated at the forum.