Civil society and conflict politics – The experience of Srilanka

By A.Jathindra

The term civil society is derived from the works of Hegel and Max. According to Hegel civil society is an institution between family and politics. Marx and Engels argued in The German Ideology” that civil society is true source and theatre of all history’ that is, the explanation of political events, legal changes and cultural development is to be sought in the development of structure of civil society. Although the term has been used with different meaning by various thinkers since the eighteen century, the need to be built civil society is prominent after the collapse of communism in east Europe. Now it has common theme for reformers and commentators. 

Involvement of civil society is essential to protect the aspiration of democracy but in our experience civil society’s concept is not prominent phenomenon in Srilankan social and political seen. Absence or weekend civil society’s ideals are one of reason to widen conflicted politics in which the extremist laid the foundation for their vested interest. This situation brought forth Srilanka at the one of tope countries bounded with ethnic violence and violation of human rights in the world. However we can lost the hop of building of co-existence and peace.

We can call this turbulent period as critical time for civilization or emergency for existence of living. We must free from the difficult situation. How we free from the situation? How we build up new society on the new orders? These questions are confronted to every one who has concern on democracy and justice.

When the rulers of this country shut down finding solutions to the ethnic problems on equal opportunities, and when they decided to suppressed the rights of minorities by means of arms, voice of civil society was disregarded. If the civil society intervene in this situation, there would not be emerged the disastrous conditions. At last this brought into of power hungry politicians to find the solutions to all problems

As the distinguished film directors Darmasiri Bandaranayaga once told we have not good threshold to create new thought and we let out same failure again and. again Most of this part belongs to Sinhala intellectual arena. However we should not despairs. If we more focus on the procedure of civil society we will lead our society into one that free from ethnic disparities, poverty, ignorance and other social illness therefore we have only option to strengthen civil society to achieve our social objectives. We are obliged to turn our face into the future

In this time, this country is completely bound up in militarism; it is immensely risk to integrate our social activities towards civil society. There for it is unwise to limit our scope of activities into regional level. We must incorporate our activities into national level that adhere to south Asia. This campaign is challengeable. However any one who has social concern can’t set down from it