Fulbright scholars learn about local government system

Sixteen foreign Fulbright Scholars kept state Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, busy fielding a vast range of questions about America’s political system and the role of local government.

One of the features of American government and politics that fascinated the scholars at SIUC was the function of Carbondale’s local politics.

Bost opened up with a brief history of how he entered into politics after working for a trucking company and why he identifies with the Republican political party.

“Here I am representing a district that has the second largest university in the state of Illinois. I joke that I have a degree in a school of hard knocks, but I’m still the people’s choice to represent them, and that’s just it,” Bost said.

Throughout the six-week program that ends Aug. 3, the scholars will have visited Washington, D.C., Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Chicago and Springfield, among other places. The group attended Tuesday’s City Council meeting at the Carbondale Civic Center.

“It’s a good opportunity to know how the system works here practically. We met with the city manager and mayor and learned new things,” said Shabbir Ahmad Khan, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Punjab in Lahore, Pakistan. “What was striking to me was the local governance. I think Americans transformed the system and the level of participation is much higher here.”

Khan said the relative sovereignty of American local governments and their powers compared to those of Pakistan was something new to him.

Ayyar Theyar Thanikodi, who teaches American government at Annamalai University [one of the largest universities in India] in Tanilnadu, India, agreed with Khan’s assessment.

“In India, there are two million local government units, but they all have limited functions,” he said.

Thanikodi observed some major differences during the program, especially in how political finances affect the outcome of an election.

“Here, if you spend more money, you’ll more likely to win the race. If money is allowed to play a big role, then the real political system collapses. There’s no meaning of having democracy,” Thanikodi said. “Of course, money does play a role in our political system, but money alone doesn’t determine the winner.”

Instead of money, the larger factor that goes into a political race is the particular candidate’s caste system, Thanikodi said.

Khan and Thanikodi, who have never been to the United States before this program, plan to bring their scholarly experiences back to the students in their home country.

Khan said he was impressed with the teaching style of the lecturers and the efficient use of multimedia tools to communicate.

“No doubt, America is an economic and technological giant,” he said.

Thanikodi wants to emphasize the importance of political openness and integrity of leaders and will submit columns of his observations and opinions of the American political system to the Dinamani, a respected newspaper in India. Thanikodi writes 10 to 15 columns for the newspaper during the year.

“The goal is to have them go home and teach their courses with more experience than when they got here,” said John Foster, SIUC professor of political science and program organizer.

Yana Georgieva, a 29-year-old graduate student from Sofia, Bulgaria, is more than ready to share her observations on American politics with her Democratic Party contacts for their national elections next year. She said watching the politicians hobnobbing with the people amazed her.

She said Bulgaria, formerly a communist country, began establishing democracy in 1989 but still needs political improvement.

“The big lesson for me was that it’s not enough to have democratic institutions – you have to feel democracy,” she said.

Outside of the itinerary, Georgieva was amused with the Americans’ consumption of diet food products, but said she understands that it may be tied in with the culture.

“The fat-free foods, they taste strange,” she said.

Georgieva said American students should take advantage of the educational resources because opportunities are rare for other students around the world.

“You have to be happy for everything that you have, the equipment, the library, facilities,” she said. “You have to use them and appreciate it.”

Reporter Jane Huh can be reached at [email protected]