Malaiyaha Tamil community: A study on reconciliation in the face of polycrisis
Mohideen Mohomed Alikhan
A recently released report commissioned by the Sri Lanka Barometer, titled ‘Polycrisis and Reconciliation: Centering the Experience and Perspective of Malaiyaha Tamils’, is a thought-provoking examination of the role and perspectives of the Malaiyaha Tamil community in the reconciliation process of Sri Lanka.
The study explores a number of key issues affecting the community, the impact of the polycrisis (especially the recent economic crisis) and how this has shaped their perspective on reconciliation. Through a nuanced exploration of these topics, the researchers provide insights and avenues for moving forward, and suggest further areas for research.
The report was co-authored by Dr. MeeNilankco Theiventhran, Mohideen Mohomed Alikhan, Amali Wedagedara and Githmi Rabel of the Institute of Political Economy (IPE). Over a period of one year, they used a combination of qualitative interviews and focus group discussions with Malaiyaha Tamils in Nuwara Eliya, Ratnapura, and Kalutara (as well as in Colombo) to explore the research topic, which centres the perspective of an under-researched community.
The Sri Lanka Barometer is an independent research initiative supported by the Strengthening Social Cohesion and Peace in Sri Lanka (SCOPE) programme. SCOPE is co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Foreign Office and implemented by GIZ, in partnership with the Government of Sri Lanka.
Every two years, Sri Lanka Barometer conducts a national level public opinion survey, which is supplemented by qualitative research to understand specific findings from the surveys. “There are findings which are difficult to explore in detail through a survey,” notes Dr Natasha Palansuriya of Sri Lanka Barometer. These are chosen for qualitative research.
Dr. MeeNilankco Theiventhran
In recent surveys, “we began noticing a red thread going through our findings,” says Dr Palansuriya. “We were seeing how the effects of multiple crises in a short space of time were compounding – the constitutional crisis in 2018, Easter Sunday attacks in 2019, COVID, and then the economic crisis.” Researchers call the confluence of these crises a ‘polycrisis’; defined as a “situation where interconnected economic, political, social, and environmental crises compound each other’s effects, creating a scenario where the whole is more dangerous than the sum of its parts, and recovery is more challenging” and “where disruptions in one system amplify vulnerabilities in others, creating a cycle of compounding risks.”
As the Sri Lanka Barometer is interested in understanding how Sri Lankans perceive reconciliation, they issued a call for research proposals that could examine the polycrisis and how it affects the reconciliation discourse. IPE, responding to the call, was interested in one under-researched community that has gained more prominence in recent times: Malaiyaha Tamils.
The community’s migration and forced statelessness imposed by the British over 200 years ago has led to exploitation and marginalization that persists to this day, even as their labour underpins Sri Lanka’s key export of tea. The protracted crises of the last few years have affected the community, as they bear the impact of high inflation and austerity ensuing from the crisis despite earning suppressed wages.
Amidst this struggle, their identity has been simplified and subsumed into a narrative that fits neatly into reconciliation discourse. As the report notes, the domestic debate often rests on a simplified binary Sinhala-Tamil identity, which dismisses the plural identities of Sri Lankans. The study examined this identity crisis as a key theme, in addition to ethno-political neglect, institutional exclusion and the socio-economic invisibility faced by the community.
Dr Natasha Palansuriya
The study focuses on Nuwara Eliya, Ratnapura and Kalutara districts, chosen due to their historical, demographic, socio-cultural and geographic relevance. The team first conducted a literature review and analyzed media coverage, then conducting interviews with key informants (15 at each location, totalling 45), followed by interviews with a broader section of Malaiyaha Tamils, including academics, civil society members, and activists. The team also conducted Focus Group Discussions with a diverse range of participants, including Malaiyaha Tamil university students, teachers, and unskilled workers.
Although identity was also an important concern, the report notes that prolonged crises have led to economic justice becoming a key issue for Malaiyaha Tamils. Existing issues of structural discrimination leading to a lower standard of living, alongside a history of displacement and exploitation, were exacerbated by the economic crisis of 2022. Even in the Barometer surveys, respondents pointed to economic status and poverty as a main reason for discrimination.
Differences based on geography were observed within the community. For example, Malaiyaha Tamils in Nuwara Eliya considered themselves to be relatively better represented politically in comparison to their community members surveyed in Kalutara and Ratnapura. More prevalence of economic hardship was noted among respondents from Kalutara and Ratnapura- “which could be partly due to the structure of income earning changing in these urban areas,” remarks Dr. Mohideen Mohomed Alikhan. These respondents were more dependent on daily wage labour opportunities in surrounding areas, leading to precarity in income.
They noticed a difference in respondents based on their age as well. “Young people are very aware of how their community has been left out in the reconciliation process, more aware of the rights they should have,” says Dr Alikhan.
“The older generation has lived with marginalization for a long time,” adds Dr MeeNilankco Theiventhran, who led the respondent interviews. “The new generation does not accept it, they feel that they are Sri Lankans with equal rights which every citizen should have.” Upward social mobility has galvanized more support and action on issues faced by Malaiyaha Tamils.
Although the Parliamentary elections of 2024 marked a positive shift with the election of Malaiyaha Tamil representatives, political representation remains a key issue and more youth are critical of existing structures. The emergence of social media and education has played a significant role in this transformation between generations. Migration from the estate to urban sector, especially to Colombo, has accelerated the progress in discourse.
The research team says that the process of reconciliation must be reframed to be inclusive of Malaiyaha Tamil voices, and take into account the impact of the polycrisis on social cohesion.
Visit https://www.srilankabarometer.lk/publications to read the full report.
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