Why Think Tanks Matter in Electoral Politics: Facts and Issues

Transcription

1 Chennai Centre for China Studies (C3S) Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP), University of Pennsylvania Press Institute of India (PII) & National Maritime Foundation (NMF) One Day Conference Why Think Tanks Matter in Electoral Politics: Facts and Issues Venue: Press Institute of India (PII), Taramani Date: January 31 st 2019

2 Concept Note In the current era which is the information age, where knowledge is power, civil society organizations play an indispensable role in examining and discussing ideas and perspectives which in turn impact public opinion. It has been assumed that the contributions of think tanks, NGOs, the media and other civil society actors are the second voice in voters decision making. On the contrary, it is also observed that in some cases, civil society organizations have unduly influenced public opinion during elections. This is evidenced by the prominence of fake news and propaganda that has significantly impacted the outcomes of elections across the world. The 2016 U.S elections are widely considered as a case in point. Fake news and propaganda, especially through social media, have given politics a more divisive and communal hue, hence exacerbating societal divides. Incidents of mob lynching and hate crimes are illustrative that digital technologies and social media can have a disruptive effect on society. In the case of mob atrocities against North-Easterners in Bangalore, the state, instead of stepping in to restore law and order, made arrangements for special trains to the North-East, thus displaying insensitivity to the plight of economic refugees. The popularity of communication services such as Whatsapp and Facebook compounds the difficulty of tracking and verifying sources of information shared on these platforms. Civil society could expand its operations to include these new dimensions of politics, examine the veracity of information and ultimately benefit decision-making by stakeholders in governments and societies. The prospects of improving authenticity of facts signal a new area of operations for think tanks. The BJP s social media campaign during the 2014 elections demonstrates the effect of digital technologies in creating and organizing public opinion. Some of these technologies have been deployed to manipulate information and content. While the operation of these technologies has not been adequately regulated by the state, think tanks and civil societies can play a role in checking their influence. The case of Cambridge Analytica indicates that the impact of these technologies is not restricted to just one country or region. More recently, at the EVM (Electronic Voting Machine) Hackathon in London, allegations of election rigging in the 2014 Indian elections were made by an expert who also claimed to have worked for ECIL (Electronic Corporation of India Ltd), the company that designs EVMs for elections in India. However ECIL maintains that the expert was never employed by the company. Additionally, the former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Naveen Chawla, pointed out that the EVM at the Hackathon in London did not belong to the Election Commission of India (ECI). This ambiguity and lack of credibility makes it crucial for think tanks to expand the scope of operations by including fact checking of claims made by political parties, and also verifying information published in annual reports by the government, besides authenticating economic data released by various institutions. This contribution to a healthy public debate can take multiple forms - inputs to political parties on social issues, shaping party manifestoes and creating a knowledge base regarding certain prominent election issues. It is equally important for think tanks to introspect and evaluate their own performance during the election cycle and draw lessons that can improve the quality of political analysis in the South-Asian context. These challenges are an

3 opportunity for think tanks to provide an alternate credible platform which would provide authentic and unbiased analysis as quality inputs for the discerning voter. The process of validating information becomes all the more important in context of rural development issues, where there is greater scope to improve awareness on political issues and increasing use of social media and digital tools. In the case of farmer suicides in India, sporadic coverage of the issue has led to its omission from major policy discussions, except during elections. This topic can be explored by think tanks in the context of South-Asia as well, where rural and social development issues play a decisive role in electoral politics. These evolving political facets demand greater scrutiny and transparency that think tanks can strive to introduce. As the fourth pillar of democratic societies, the media contributes to the system of checks and balances, a function that is being currently eroded by the prominence of fake news, paid news and propaganda. Over the last two years, certain news and print media organizations have been criticized for conflicts of interest and biased reporting, sometimes even disseminating fake news. The phenomenon of Jute News - an intersection of fake and paid news, is proof of these challenges in the media. Sensationalizing and politicizing issues has become commonplace in electoral politics, leading to bi-partisan reporting of events in JNU in 2016 which was driven by different political parties depending on their agenda. Media institutions also must take stock of the vulnerability of media houses and professionals to digital manipulation. Cyber security in media organizations has not been addressed adequately. In light of these challenges, it is necessary for the media to explore methods of fact-checking and vetting of sources. These can be developed and promoted as best practices that are inculcated into professionals, amateurs and students. It is therefore important to introduce standards and best practices to be adopted by new media outlets and other information platforms which are especially popular with the youth. The upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha elections are also a timely opportunity to revamp the media s role in checking conflicts of interest and flagging biased reporting. This can be undertaken through collaborations with other civil society actors that will build relevant capacities that can positively influence public debate. NGOs and Civil society actors are instrumental in spreading awareness and developing a consensus in society on vital social and political issues. The grassroots approach of NGOs has often been effective in generating awareness and organizing action. Unfortunately, the lack of transparency in funding and operations has dented the credibility of certain NGOs who appear to have an agenda of their own based on those who fund them. As many NGOs with fake accounts were compelled to close down after the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2016, other civil society organizations must look for ways to develop an internal mechanism for accountability and transparency that adheres to legal standards. A closer examination of these challenges and issues will improve public confidence in NGOs other civil society actors. NGOs contribute to politics by creating social awareness on important issues and empowering individuals to take political action. One example of this is the #MeToo movement in India, which has been promoted and carried forward by NGOs and other actors in civil society. These organizations have also been responsible for elevating the issue to the political level, thereby generating

4 more awareness on women s rights and creating a political consensus on ways to safeguard women s rights and safety. Another issue that has received less attention than it warrants is environmental conservation. Air pollution, in particular, is gradually increasing in political importance. This is observable in China and in India to a certain extent, where NGOs have been raising new issues to the political level. This has necessitated an inter-disciplinary and collaborative approach that can simultaneously raise awareness and verify the authenticity of the issues at hand. Since NGOs are experienced in certain social development issues, research and reporting tools at the grassroots level can be enhanced and made accessible to combat false claims and fake news. It is clear that in this era, civil societies across the world tend to be polarized over politics, especially during the elections. This can lead to conflicting sources of information which would distort perspectives of voters. The abundance of unreliable information calls for various civil society organizations to collaborate on research, outreach and field work and jointly produce analysis on political issues. This would harness the complementary strengths of all organizations and compensate for their individual challenges as well. There has been little discussion on the scope for collaboration in order to enhance existing capacities of different civil societies. It remains to be seen how NGOs and think tanks can introduce financial accountability by jointly analyzing CAG reports and comparing them with the claims made by various Ministries. These reports could be disseminated to the citizens, which would facilitate his/her sound decision making. Media organizations and think tanks could engage in comparative analysis of party manifestoes to evaluate whether the parties have a proper understanding of internal politics, foreign relations and development issues. In this context the Chennai Centre for China Studies (C3S), in collaboration with the Think Tanks Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) University of Pennsylvania, the Press Institute of India (PII) and the National Maritime Foundation (NMF), is organizing a one-day conference on the theme Think Tanks and Electoral Politics: Facts and Issues. Panel discussions will be held to discuss various facets of facts intertwining with electoral politics. The dimensions of discussions at the event include the role of think tanks, media, NGOs and civil society and how these organizations can synergize efforts to enhance the veracity of facts amidst political matrices. When the voter is at a disadvantage while viewing facts juxtaposed with fiction, thus hindering his/her electoral decision making, civil society organizations need to play a greater role in engaging all stakeholders in discourses that display objectivity, reliability and authenticity. Hence a collaborative approach that rests on a common understanding of standards and best practices needs to be developed and institutionalized over time. The event, with its myriad lenses on the theme, would cast light on a relevant and timely issue, which has local, national and global implications. The discussions would not only examine ongoing trends and challenges, but seek to enlighten Indian and international stakeholders on the way forward for credible and factual political narratives. (Programme overleaf)

5 Programme 08:30 A.M - Registration INAUGURAL SESSION 09:00 A.M - Welcome Address and Opening Remarks by Commodore R. Seshadri Vasan, Indian Navy (Retd.); Director, Chennai Centre for China Studies (C3S); Regional Director, National Maritime Foundation-Tamil Nadu (NMF-TN); and Head, Strategy & Security Studies, Centre for Asia Studies (CAS) 09:15 A.M - Inaugural Address by Col. Hariharan VSM (Retd.), Retired Officer of Intelligence Corps, Government of India; Member, C3S 09:35 A.M - Keynote Address by Prof. V. Suryanarayan, Former Director, Centre for South and South East Asian Studies, University of Madras; President, C3S TBC 09:55 A.M - Vote of Thanks by Rahul Reddy, Research Officer, C3S 10:00 A.M 10:20 A.M: TEA PLENARY SESSION I 10:20 A.M 11:05 A.M: Panel Discussion on Role of Think Tanks Chair: Mr. K. Subramanian, Former Joint Secretary (Retd.), Ministry of Finance, Government of India 10:20 A.M Dr. V.S. Sambandan, Chief Administrative Officer, The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy 10:35 A.M - Mr. R.K. Radhakrishnan, Associate Editor, Frontline, Chennai 10:50 A.M - Prof. Janakarajan Srinivasan, Professor and Officiating Director, Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS) 11:05 A.M 11:25 A.M: Q & A PLENARY SESSION II 11:25 A.M 12:10 P.M: Panel Discussion on Role of Media Chair: Mr. R.K. Radhakrishnan, Associate Editor, Frontline, Chennai 11:25 A.M - Mr. Peer Mohamed, Senior Editor, Founder and CEO, ippodhu.com, Chennai 11:40 A.M - Mr. Bijoy Bharathan, Senior Assistant Editor, DT Next, Chennai 11:55 A.M - Young Scholar from Department of Journalism, M.O.P Vaishnav College, Chennai - TBC 12:10 P.M 12:30 P.M: Q & A

6 12:30 P.M 1:30 P.M: LUNCH PLENARY SESSION III 1:30 P.M 2:15 P.M: Panel Discussion on Role of NGOs Chair: Dr. Swarna Rajagopalan, Political analyst, writer and consultant; Founder, Chaitanya The Policy Consultancy, Chennai; Founder and Managing Trustee, The Prajnya Trust, Chennai 1:30 P.M - Dr. Uma Ramachandran, Senior Research Manager, Environment and Climate Change, IFMR Lead 1:45 P.M - Ms. Kirthi Jayakumar, Founder & CEO, Red Elephant Foundation 2:00 P.M - Dr. Ashik J. Bonofer, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Madras Christian College (MCC) 2:15 P.M 2:35 P.M: Q & A PLENARY SESSION IV 2:35 P.M 3:20 P.M: Panel Discussion on Synergizing Efforts of Think Tanks and Civil Society Organizations Chair: Cmde R. S. Vasan, Director, C3S 2:35 P.M - Mr. Vivien Massot, Conseiller du Commerce Extérieur de la France (CCEF) & Managing Director, TAC ECONOMICS, India 2:50 P.M - Col. Hariharan, Member, C3S 3:05 P.M - Mr. Arjun Sundar, Graduate of M.A International Relations, Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Madras; Member, Young Minds of C3S 3:20 P.M 3:40 P.M: Q & A 3:40 P.M 3:55 P.M: Summing Up and Vote of Thanks by Dr. Alagu Perumal, Assistant Professor International Business, Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA), Chennai 3:55 P.M 4:15 P.M: Tea (Event concludes)