Comments on: The Attacks on Civil Society Organizations http://www.groundviews.org/2008/02/29/the-attacks-on-civil-society-organizations/ groundviews is an award winning Sri Lankan citizen journalism initiative Sun, 12 Oct 2008 03:13:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: PRIYANTHA gamage http://www.groundviews.org/2008/02/29/the-attacks-on-civil-society-organizations/#comment-2047 PRIYANTHA gamage Sun, 23 Mar 2008 15:49:12 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2008/02/29/the-attacks-on-civil-society-organizations/#comment-2047 Whilst agreeing with the essence of his write-up that the sword brandishing He-man mahinda perceives each and every critique-whether big or small,as the allies of the enemy if not the enemy I can't help making the following observations on Dr.Liyanage's comment.This reminds me of the movie predator where the canniballist creature sees the whole world in green liken through “night visions” . I also agree with him to a certain extent that the prevalent civil society is not the ideal one a country drems of.It is also no secret asto how far away they are from even an illusionary perfection.On the other hand is any one of us for that matter?Yet I am sorry I cannot agree with the learned scholar when he undermines the importance of a vibrant civil society.Don’t we all crave for one whenever the Stae/the Executive or the Opposition bluders?And the fact that even Mr.Liyanage longs for one is obvious from his last sentence: We need a social movement similar to what existed in the pre- 1994 period to counter the forces of money and power (using the Mandel’s term to denote capital and the state). Isn’t this the same rose in a nom de guerre? Whilst agreeing with the essence of his write-up that the sword brandishing He-man mahinda perceives each and every critique-whether big or small,as the allies of the enemy if not the enemy I can’t help making the following observations on Dr.Liyanage’s comment.This reminds me of the movie predator where the canniballist creature sees the whole world in green liken through “night visions” .
I also agree with him to a certain extent that the prevalent civil society is not the ideal one a country drems of.It is also no secret asto how far away they are from even an illusionary perfection.On the other hand is any one of us for that matter?Yet I am sorry I cannot agree with the learned scholar when he undermines the importance of a vibrant civil society.Don’t we all crave for one whenever the Stae/the Executive or the Opposition bluders?And the fact that even Mr.Liyanage longs for one is obvious from his last sentence:
We need a social movement similar to what existed in the pre- 1994 period to counter the forces of money and power (using the Mandel’s term to denote capital and the state).
Isn’t this the same rose in a nom de guerre?

]]> By: PRIYANTHA gamage http://www.groundviews.org/2008/02/29/the-attacks-on-civil-society-organizations/#comment-2046 PRIYANTHA gamage Sun, 23 Mar 2008 15:31:55 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2008/02/29/the-attacks-on-civil-society-organizations/#comment-2046 Whilst agreeing with the essence of his write-up that the sword brandishing He-man mahinda perceives each and every critique-whether big or small,as the allies of the enemy if not the enemy.This reminds me of the movie predator where the canniballist creature sees the whole world in green liken through "night visions". I also agree with him to a certain extebt that the prevalent civil society is not the ideal one a country drems of.It is also no secret asto how far away they are from even an illusionary perfection.On the other hand is any one of us for that matter?Yet I am sorry I cannot agree with the learned scholar when he undermines the importance of a vibrant civil society.Don't we all crave for one whenever the Stae/the Executive or the Opposition bluders?And the fact that even Mr.Liyanage longs for one is obvious from his last sentence: We need a social movement similar to what existed in the pre- 1994 period to counter the forces of money and power (using the Mandel’s term to denote capital and the state). Isn't this the same rose in a nom de guere? Whilst agreeing with the essence of his write-up that the sword brandishing He-man mahinda perceives each and every critique-whether big or small,as the allies of the enemy if not the enemy.This reminds me of the movie predator where the canniballist creature sees the whole world in green liken through “night visions”.
I also agree with him to a certain extebt that the prevalent civil society is not the ideal one a country drems of.It is also no secret asto how far away they are from even an illusionary perfection.On the other hand is any one of us for that matter?Yet I am sorry I cannot agree with the learned scholar when he undermines the importance of a vibrant civil society.Don’t we all crave for one whenever the Stae/the Executive or the Opposition bluders?And the fact that even Mr.Liyanage longs for one is obvious from his last sentence:
We need a social movement similar to what existed in the pre- 1994 period to counter the forces of money and power (using the Mandel’s term to denote capital and the state).
Isn’t this the same rose in a nom de guere?

]]> By: Kumar David http://www.groundviews.org/2008/02/29/the-attacks-on-civil-society-organizations/#comment-2045 Kumar David Wed, 19 Mar 2008 05:16:14 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2008/02/29/the-attacks-on-civil-society-organizations/#comment-2045 I have two small points and one more serious one. a) I wish Sumane would not go accommodate the practice of using the term "civil cociety" for NGOs. Civil society is a classical term going back even before Hegel; it stands for those things outside and excluded from the sphere of the state and the sphere of the family. Hence religious institutions, trade unions are civil society when the term is properly used. He knows all this but still accommodates all those NGO fellows trerminologically. b) Sumane is/was a Marxist but his acceptance of sovereignty and the nation state seems to be in excess of the purely conditional and provisional acceptance that internationalists will grant. c) The big point: Sumane argues that imperialism should be judged by its motives, true, agreed up to a point. But far more important than motives is consequences. For example imperialism or a Western power may have its own economic or strategic motives for some intervention, or may talk in a haughty and arrogant way; but if the consequences of intervention (political, economic or military) will be to stop genocide, or end the slave trade or prevent some utterly pointless and reactionary tribal war breaking ou, etc, then that aspect could be in overview more important than the motives. Point to ponder: Majority of Tamils in SL are now pro R2P, majority of Sinhalese anti R2P. I have two small points and one more serious one.

a) I wish Sumane would not go accommodate the practice of using the term “civil cociety” for NGOs. Civil society is a classical term going back even before Hegel; it stands for those things outside and excluded from the sphere of the state and the sphere of the family. Hence religious institutions, trade unions are civil society when the term is properly used. He knows all this but still accommodates all those NGO fellows trerminologically.

b) Sumane is/was a Marxist but his acceptance of sovereignty and the nation state seems to be in excess of the purely conditional and provisional acceptance that internationalists will grant.

c) The big point: Sumane argues that imperialism should be judged by its motives, true, agreed up to a point. But far more important than motives is consequences. For example imperialism or a Western power may have its own economic or strategic motives for some intervention, or may talk in a haughty and arrogant way; but if the consequences of intervention (political, economic or military) will be to stop genocide, or end the slave trade or prevent some utterly pointless and reactionary tribal war breaking ou, etc, then that aspect could be in overview more important than the motives.
Point to ponder: Majority of Tamils in SL are now pro R2P, majority of Sinhalese anti R2P.

]]> By: » Responsibility to Protect (R2P): State sovereignty and international responsibility after Kosovo http://www.groundviews.org/2008/02/29/the-attacks-on-civil-society-organizations/#comment-2044 » Responsibility to Protect (R2P): State sovereignty and international responsibility after Kosovo Thu, 13 Mar 2008 02:35:01 +0000 http://www.groundviews.org/2008/02/29/the-attacks-on-civil-society-organizations/#comment-2044 [...] -Tragic Crisis Surrounds The Colombo I.C.E.S, by D.B.S. Jeyaraj - The Attacks on Civil Society Organizations - by Sumanasiri Liyanage [...] [...] -Tragic Crisis Surrounds The Colombo I.C.E.S, by D.B.S. Jeyaraj - The Attacks on Civil Society Organizations - by Sumanasiri Liyanage [...]

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