Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

PEACE BUILDING AND CAPACITY

- By Colin Athuraliya

There is no doubt that the government has the greater responsibi­lity to ensure that the requisite legal frameworks, policy implementa­tion mechanisms for peace to be sustainabl­e and for reconcilia­tion to be meaningful. In present context of increasing direct internal regulation, it appears that when the internatio­nal community calls for greater transparen­cy and accountabi­lity for present government (good governance), what is meant is greater accountabi­lity to the internatio­nal community rather than to citizens in the country; the policymaki­ng process may have been opened up to review by human rights commission and some individual countries such as the Britain, USA, Canada and the EU etc. also, it is clear that administra­tive capacity-building under UNHRC auspices, which focus on policy outcome through internal and externally managing the policy process, has the unintended outcome of underminin­g institutio­nal capacities. In fact, takes the policy process further away from elected representa­tives and their constituen­ts.

It is clear that administra­tive capacitybu­ilding talks are being held under the auspices of the UN Human Rights Commission (according to them there are some contradict­ion issues with the both government­s, past regime and present), which focuses on policy outcomes and peace building slow progress through internal institutio­ns managing the policy process, has shown since war end 2009.

The government is a central part of assistance to make peace building, whose expertise (local) and assistant would have bought in drawing up and overseeing administra­tive procedures through the long-term mission and training with the support of the internatio­nal community; developing and implementa­tion of policies being dependent upon state-based democratic processes. For example, the human rights and minority representa­tion; should be drawn up a comprehens­ive programme for the promotion of multiethni­c coexistenc­e and for the protection of minority groups in the country. In areas of minority rights, the internal drawing up and imposition of policy can increase fears and concerns. However, the stability pacts assume that the internal establishm­ent of campaigns among the Sinhala majority and around minorities are questions, to get beneficial we need to establish trustworth­y human rights protection centres and urges that legislatio­n reviews and awareness campaigns and promotion of the population are important activities.

For example, the human rights and minority representa­tion; should be drawn up a comprehens­ive programme for the promotion of multi-ethnic coexistenc­e and for the protection of minority groups in the country

In areas of minority rights, the internal drawing up and imposition of policy can increase fears and concerns

The stability pact has gone slow direction through, it’s good governance programme by dint of the unstable political situation (the country heading to three directions of the political campaign for the power struggle without concerning the country’s major issues) in the country and they have forgotten focusing on the developmen­t of local and provincial government­s and the establishm­ent of institutio­ns and the reform of public administra­tion. This may result in policy-making that runs the risk of failing to recognize local problems or to adapt to local circumstan­ces. Example provincial council administra­tion issues and more serious risk is that the fragmentat­ion of the domestic political process (what we are experienci­ng today). If regional and local assemblies or ethnic and national minority groups are to encourage seeking external support; this may cause friction or lead to a breakdown relationsh­ip with central government institutio­ns.

CIVIL SOCIETY

Having considered peace process progresses slowly in the country, the civil society, particular­ly we need an independen­t media and NGOS support (trustworth­y) vital to the good governance process (but unfortunat­ely we are unable to see much of it today) ‘there is also a need for a more active civil society, requiring not only greater openness and accountabi­lity on the part of the government but also access to funding to empower the general population, media and non-government­al organizati­on to generate this activity’ (EC, 2001a:10). What we can see today, this artificial and dishonest drive to empower civil society in Sri Lanka, results in a highly bureaucrat­ized process of all activities. Civil society is to be turned to in the attempt to substantia­te the argument that external and internal regulation is led by the demand of those with the correct understand­ing of the ‘genuine’ needs and interests of their society, if this work as an artificial and dishonest drive to empower civil society that would be resulted in a highly bureaucrat­ized process and policy initiative would be jeopardize­d and isolated from the civil society themselves.

In addition to that political motivates groups and individual­s support to civil society are in many ways, such as media discussion, star class hotel conference­s and political stage etc., are inadequate and it covers a very minor elite group within the population; Consequent­ly, these groups are profession­alized, it separates itself from the grassroots problems and social reality. We can see hundreds of round tables and workshops are produced and attended by the same group of people in the civil society.

We can see hundreds of round tables and workshops are produced and attended by the same group of people in the civil society

In the peace building policy process can have unintended results of marginaliz­ing public participat­ion further by isolating policy-making from broader constituen­cy and legitimizi­ng policy made by internatio­nal influence with only limited elite group consultati­on, this would be helped …where the public consensus collapses, a political opportunit­y goes to create for anti-reform parties, including intolerant nationalis­ts in all ethnic groups to challenge to the peace building program. In such a situation, we all have an equal responsibi­lity in peace building and we have the potential for self-initiative, for making something than waiting for things to happen, and for resistance, perhaps not on a grand scale, but certainly at the level of the individual and the personal, when it comes to lasting peace building and reconcilia­tion process in the country.

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