Strengthening Democratic Governance for Peace and Harmony in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the strengthening of democratic governance for peace and harmony in Sri Lanka. It researched community members and peace workers from two different districts, Jaffna and Kilinochchi, with different sociocultural backgrounds to obtain useful insights into the cultural and contextual influences on peace and harmony. Qualitative and quantitative methods and Sequential Explanatory Strategy were employed in this study. Key informant interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) were used to ask respondents about three primary domains of their experience; how do you understand the ‘term’ peace and harmony, the present situation of peace in the post-conflict scenario and the importance of peace and harmony for Sri Lanka. This study had to depend on qualitative aspects because the participants provided descriptive responses expressing their opinions and feelings through sentences and phrases. The analysis of data from all interviews and FGDs were undertaken by the researchers, both of whom have had experience working in the Northern Province. In addition, key phrases were noted while reading interview transcripts and thereafter labelled according to the themes that emerged from the discussion. Those themes were identified and coded using the manual for retrieving the data. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the Government of Sri Lanka should make a balanced and substantial investment in infrastructure development in the North. In order to achieve lasting peace and harmony, economic progress and equal opportunities for everyone should be ensured. The military presence was noted as one of the barriers to returning to normalcy. Therefore demilitarization should also be one of the most important steps undertaken through the reconciliation process.