*Sri Lanka : The National Question and the Tamil Liberation Struggle
by Satchi Ponnambalam
Published jointly by the Tamil Information Centre and Zed Books Ltd, London- 1983
Copyright Satchi Ponnambalam, 1983
from the back cover to the first edition…
Sri Lanka: The National Question and the Tamil Liberation Struggle is the first book by a Sri
Lankan on a conflict that has now escalated into wide ranging violence and become the
dominant issue facing the country. Its author, Satchi Ponnambalam, has written a scholarly
but committed history of relations between the island’s two distinct nations- Sinhalese. and
Tamils- which goes back over 2,000 years.
He concentrates on the post-independence period, and provides a detailed record of the
discriminatory measures successive governments have taken against the Tamil population.
This hostility on the part of a section of the Sinhalese has arisen, he argues, not because of
any inevitable antagonism. Rather, its roots lie in the determination of the Sinhalese ruling
class to divert the struggle common to both the Sinhalese and Tamil oppressed classes, a
struggle inherent in the nature of Sri Lanka’s neo-colonial, capitalist economy (an economy
which benefits only the ruling class itself).
These upper-class Sinhalese politicians, the author argues, are manipulating a myth of
Sinhalese Aryan supremacy- at the cost of abandoning true Buddhism- so as to keep power
in their own hands. Ponnambalam outlines the Tamil people’s struggle over the past quarter
of a century for equality, justice and dignity. With the failure of these demands, Tamil
organizations are now fighting for national freedom from internal colonialism and
oppression, and demanding a separate state of Tamil Eelam in the northern and eastern parts
of the island. To contain this separatist ground-swell, the Government has subjected the
Tamils to a state of emergency since 1979, unleashed the armed forces, imposed press
censorship, and used its Prevention of Terrorism Act almost indiscriminately against its
opponents.
This book provides a real understanding of Sri Lankan politics and social conflict. As the
author makes clear, the refusal of the ruling class, supported by its ethnic middle class and
casts allies, to recognize the just rights and national equality of the Tamil people, threatens
the country’s tenuous retention of the democratic process and civil liberties, as well as its
Social peace.
Neither the class question nor the national question is now capable of solution by the present
ruling class. It is this line of analysis that makes this book throw light more generally on the
national question in the Third World, a question which is one of its most intractable and
unrecognized political problems.
Satchi Ponnambalam is a Sri Lankan lawyer who was educated at the Universities of Ceylon
and London. Now a judge, he is the author of Dependent Capitalism in Crisis- The Sri
Lankan Economy, 1948-80 (ZedPress, 198l) which was published simultaneously in Sri
Lanka, India, and the United Kingdom.
The Tamil “national question” in Sri Lanka refers to the long-standing ethnic conflict between the Tamil minority and the Sinhalese majority, rooted in perceived discrimination and a struggle for self-determination. The “Tamil liberation struggle” was the response to this, initially involving non-violent protests and political campaigns that were met with government repression. Over time, this escalated into armed conflict, with groups like the Tamil Tigers seeking to create an independent Tamil state called Eelam.
The national question
- Roots of the conflict: The conflict is rooted in a history of discrimination against the Tamil population by successive Sri Lankan governments, particularly in the post-independence period.
- Government policies: Discriminatory policies were implemented against Tamils, leading to their exclusion from certain rights and opportunities.
- “Sinhalese nationalism”: The ruling class is argued to have promoted a form of “Sinhalese nationalism” to maintain power, sometimes at the expense of Tamil rights.
- Perceived threat: The Tamil community felt that their aspirations were frustrated and their way of life was threatened, leading to a sense of insecurity and hostility.
The Tamil liberation struggle
- Initial non-violent phase: For decades, Tamil parliamentary parties used non-violent methods, such as Satyagraha (non-violent resistance), to protest and demand basic rights.
- Government repression: These peaceful demands were met with military repression and a failure to fulfill promises, which ultimately pushed the struggle towards more radical action.
- Rise of armed struggle: The perceived failure of political solutions led to armed action, with the goal of secession to establish the independent state of Tamil Eelam.
- Human rights focus: As the conflict intensified, the focus for many became not just self-determination, but the fundamental right to life, free from state violence.
- Political goals: The Tamil liberation struggle has been interpreted in various ways, from a fight against colonialism and imperialism to a manifestation of class struggle combined with national liberation.
Key actors and interpretations
- Satchi Ponnambalam: A prominent historian whose book, “*Sri Lanka: The National Question and the Tamil Liberation Struggle*,” provides a detailed account of the conflict from a Tamil perspective, highlighting the role of discriminatory state policies.
- Tamil Tigers (LTTE): A major armed group formed in 1976 that fought for an independent Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka.
- Marxist analysis: Some analyses, like those found on the Marxists Internet Archive, interpret the struggle through a lens of class struggle, arguing that the Sinhala ruling class used ethnic chauvinism to divide the working class.
The Tamil “national question” in Sri Lanka refers to the long-standing ethnic conflict between the Tamil minority and the Sinhalese majority, rooted in perceived discrimination and a struggle for self-determination. The “Tamil liberation struggle” was the response to this, initially involving non-violent protests and political campaigns that were met with government repression. Over time, this escalated into armed conflict, with groups like the Tamil Tigers seeking to create an independent Tamil state called Eelam.
The national question
Roots of the conflict: The conflict is rooted in a history of discrimination against the Tamil population by successive Sri Lankan governments, particularly in the post-independence period.
Government policies: Discriminatory policies were implemented against Tamils, leading to their exclusion from certain rights and opportunities.
“Sinhalese nationalism”: The ruling class is argued to have promoted a form of “Sinhalese nationalism” to maintain power, sometimes at the expense of Tamil rights.
Perceived threat: The Tamil community felt that their aspirations were frustrated and their way of life was threatened, leading to a sense of insecurity and hostility.
The Tamil liberation struggle
Initial non-violent phase: For decades, Tamil parliamentary parties used non-violent methods, such as Satyagraha (non-violent resistance), to protest and demand basic rights.
Government repression: These peaceful demands were met with military repression and a failure to fulfill promises, which ultimately pushed the struggle towards more radical action.- Rise of armed struggle: The perceived failure of political solutions led to armed action, with the goal of secession to establish the independent state of Tamil Eelam.
- Human rights focus: As the conflict intensified, the focus for many became not just self-determination, but the fundamental right to life, free from state violence.
- Political goals: The Tamil liberation struggle has been interpreted in various ways, from a fight against colonialism and imperialism to a manifestation of class struggle combined with national liberation.
Key actors and interpretationsSatchi Ponnambalam: A prominent historian whose book, “*Sri Lanka: The National Question and the Tamil Liberation Struggle*,” provides a detailed account of the conflict from a Tamil perspective, highlighting the role of discriminatory state policies.
Tamil Tigers (LTTE): A major armed group formed in 1976 that fought for an independent Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka.
Marxist analysis: Some analyses, like those found on the Marxists Internet Archive, interpret the struggle through a lens of class struggle, arguing that the Sinhala ruling class used ethnic chauvinism to divide the working class.
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