THE participation of deputy minister of National Integration, Muneer Mulaffar, in a conference on 鈥楤uilding a peaceful pluralistic Sri Lanka through Social Cohesion and Coexistence鈥� organised by the Association of War Affected Women, together with other peacebuilding organisations, was the highlight of the event. The Minister spoke eloquently on the government鈥檚 commitment to national integration. The event was attended by more than 150 participants, drawn from clergy of all religions, civil society, the academic community and several embassies. The minister鈥檚 participation and speech on the occasion gave two important signals to the participants and the country at large. One message was that the government considered the national reconciliation process to be one that merited its time and effort. The other message was that the task of civil society and citizens was important for the wellbeing of the country.
The constructive role of civil society, which was evident at the conference on 鈥楤uilding a peaceful pluralistic Sri Lanka through social cohesion and coexistence鈥� is that civil society can prepare the ground for the government