As democratic space shrunk, the opportunities for democratic protest became limited. For the Tamil people, this meant that there was little and diminishing opportunity to contest political marginalisation through civil institutions. Important opportunities to settle ethnic tensions and let off steam were lost. At the simplest level, only two options remained for protest through ineffective party political means or through more disruptive, violent means. It is little wonder that the Tamil liberation movement and even the JVP took up arms.
Civil society is by no means meant to be a locus of consensus.
At its most democratic and vigorous, civil society is just as much a site of contestation and debate as Parliament or any other State forum. In a thriving democracy, a war of words would replace deadly military wars. Sadly, as long as the Sri Lankan Government continues with its war footing and continues to regard civil society as a threat, this seems unlikely. Vital opportunities to forge creative solutions have been lost. A State dominated civil society has failed to provide the avenues for dialogue and reconciliation outside party politics and within the citizenry.