By
D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Island-wide local authority elections are scheduled for 6th May 2025. At the national level ,the local authority polls will provide the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna(JVP)led National People’s Power(NPP) Government an opportunity to prove it is as popular as it was at the time of the Parliamentary elections in November 2024. It will also be a test to gauge whether the Anura “Ralla”oe wave has receded or not.
On another level, the local poll results will demonstrate clearly the standing of the Anura Kumara -led Government vis a vis the ethnic minority communities of Sri Lanka. At the 2024 Parliamentary elections, the JVP-led NPP was the Party that elected the most number of Muslim and “Malaiyagath Thamizhar”(Hill Country Tamils). The NPP also tied with the Ilankiai Thamil Arasuk Katchi(ITAK) in electing the highest number of Sri Lankan Tamil MPs from the northern and eastern provinces.Both parties elected seven Tamil MPs each from the north and east.
Under these circumstances the north -eastern local polls in Tamil areas will be the determining factor in three important issues. Firstly the results will show whether the Tamils of the north and east are still supportive of the JVP led NPP or not. After the 2024 Parliamentary poll, the JVP has been triumphantly proclaiming that the North -eastern Tamils have rejected the traditional Tamil nationalist parties and opted for the “Thisaikaatty” or compass. The may 6th poll can either prove or disprove this claim.
Secondly the local polls will also provide the Tamil nationalist parties another chance to deny the JVPled NPP claim. Even though the JVP-NPP won several seats in Tamil areas, the Tamil parties were deeply divided.Their votes were fragmented. Tamil parties have explained that their comparatively poor showing at the 2024 parliamentary poll was due to this disunity in Tamil ranks. Arithmetical arguments have been propounded that if the Votes polled by different Tamil parties&independent groups were heaped together, they would be double the number of JVP/NPP votes in the north and east They even say that Tamil voters punished them for their lack of unity by voting for the compass.
In spite of their assertion that disunity was the cause of their decline in 2024, the Tamil parties have not been able to form a singular,united front. The premier political party of the Sri Lankan Tamils is the ITAK known in English as the Federal Party(FP). The ITAK is facing the local polls alone under its House symbol. The ITAK/FP position is that given the voting system of 60% directly elected Ward members and 40% members based on Proportional representation, it would be better for political parties to contest separately. The Tamil parties could unite after polls to either form a stable administration or prevent the JVP/NPP from forming an administration. The ITAK/FP claims that it is not being too critical of rival political parties during the election campaign to keep options for inter-party unity open in a post-election scenario.
Of the other Tamil nationalist parties there are two broad alliances. One is the Democratic Tamil National Alliance(DTNA) contesting under the Sangu or conch symbol. The other is the Thamil Theseeya Paeravai contesting under the Ahila Ilankai Tamil Congress Symbol of Cycle. The DTNA consists of parties like the EPRLF, TELO,PLOTE, Crusaders for Democracy and Samathuvak Katchi. The Tamil National People’s Front -led Thamil Theseeyap Peravai has parties like the Thamil Theseeyak Katchi, Pasumaith Thaayaga Iyakkam and Jananaayagath Thamil Arasuk Katchi in their ranks.
In addition to the ITAK and the two broad alliances, several other smaller political parties and independent groups are also in the electoral fray. Among these are the Thamil Makkal Koottamaippu, Kizhakku Thamizhar Koottamaippu and Independent groups backed by maverick Tamil MP Dr. Ramanathan Aruchchuna.
It could be seen therefore that the local authority polls in the Tamil areas of the North and East are an arena where two sets of electoral battles are being fought. In one the JVP led NPP is pitted against Tamil nationalist parties and groups. In the other, Tamil political parties are competing among themselves to be recognized as the numero uno among Tamil nationalist parties.
Tamil Leadership Stakes
Even as these two electoral battles are being conducted, there is another undeclared issue that is inter-twined with the current local authority poll also. This concerns leadership stakes in the Tamil political sphere..
An illustrative aspect of Sri Lankan Tamil political history is the phenomena of influential leaders emerging and dominating at different times and different phases. The Ponnambalam brothers Ramanathan and Arunachalam, A.Mahadeva, GG Ponnambalam, SJV Chelvanayagam and Appaipillai Amirthalingam are democratic leaders who held sway at different periods of time. The rise of armed Tamil militancy and the “specter” of Veluppillai Prabhakaran’s enforced leadership is a different kettle of fish altogether.
By the yardstick mentioned above, the post-war years from 2010 to 2024 are regarded as the period of Rajavarothayam Sampanthan’s leadership. Even though his grip had slackened in the last few years, Sampanthan remained the undisputed Sri Lankan Tamil leader in stature as well as in symbolic terms. Sampanthan was referred to as “Perunthalaiver”or great leader in the twilight years of his life.
After Sampanthan’s demise last year, the leadership vacuum in Tamil nationalist politics has become glaringly obvious. The political retirement of CV Wigneswaran last year after the liquor bar permit fiasco and the death of Somasundaram “Maavai”Senathirajah this year have contributed to this leadership vacuum further.
Aspirant to the Throne
In this situation, there is visible ,a concerted move by vested interests and interested parties to promote an aspirant to the Tamil nationalist leadership throne. This is none other than lawyer cum parliamentarian Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam. Gajen as he is generally known is the General secretary of the Ahila Ilankai Tamil Congress and the President of the “Thamil Theseeya Makkal Munnani(Tamil national peoples Front. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam has served as Jaffna district MP from 2001 to 2010 and from 2020 to date.
After the 2024 Parliamentary elections, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam took the initiative to form a working relationship with the ITAK and DTNA members of Parliament. He entered into talks with ITAK parliamentary group leader Sivagnanam Shritharan and the sole DTNA parliamentarian Selvam Adaikkalanathan. He also met ITAK leader CVK Sivagnanam. Gajendrakumar took up the position that Tamil party unity was necessary to outnumber the Tamil MPs elected from the JVP/NPP and to put forward fresh Constitutional proposals. Gajen’s efforts were unsuccessful and as usual he pointed the finger at his political bete noire M. A. Sumanthiran, the former Jaffna MP and ITAK General Secretary.
Even though Gajendrakumar portrayed his efforts as a move to achieve working unity, astute political observers were able to detect the hidden political agenda within. By forming an alliance of Tamil Parliamentarians under his leadership, Gajendrakumar was eyeing in practice ,the position of leader among Tamil parliamentarians. It must be remembered that R.Sampanthan was the parliamentary group leader of the Tamil National Alliance(TNA)from 2004 to 2024.
Local Authority Elections
With the advent of the local authority elections, the bid to become the supreme Tamil political leader became more pronounced and more obvious. Gajendrakumar had for long adopted a seemingly “puritan”approach in politics. He has been reluctant to work in tandem with other Tamil political parties or forge a unified approach on crucial issues with them He and other stalwarts of his party/front have attacked and condemned other Tamil parties and key figures as sell-outs and traitors. Tey refused to form any alliance with other parties.This rigid holier than thou approach had earned Gajen and his party the nickname 24 carats.
Yet Gajendrakumar who seemed to have mellowed a bit when he tried to forge a working relationship among Tamil parties after the 2024 election went several steps further at the local polls. A common alliance with some political parties and groups was formed and named Thamil Theseeyap Paeravai or Tamil national council. The twin bonds that seemingly bound this motley crew together were opposition to MA Sumanthiran and support to Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam politically.
Observers of the current political scene have been bemused and somewhat amused at the blatant attempts to project Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam as the leader or future leader of Sri Lankan Tamils. Paeans of praise are being sung about him at political meetings. Several senior Tamil politicians – now a part of the alliance led by Gajen – make it a point to laud him for his political consistency and emphasise that he is the supreme Tamil leader. A senior lawyer who has been in politics for nearly sixty years stated that he would now rest happily because the future of Tamils would be safe with Gajendrakumar as leader.
Thus it is very possible that a strident forceful claim in support of Gajendrakumar as the supreme Tamil leader would be made if and when the alliance led by him does well at the local authority polls. Some of Gajen’s acolytes began describing Gajen as the “Thamizh Theseeyath Thalaiver”(Tamil national leader) after Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) supremo Veluppillai Prabhakaran. This attempt fizzled out due to a public outcry against it. However a fresh bid to boost Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam as the Tamil nationalist leader is quite possible if the alliance led by him does well at the local polls.
It is against this backdrop therefore that this column focuses on Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam and his Tamil leadership prospects this week. I shall be relying on some of my earlier writings to briefly outline Gajen’s political background.
Tamil Political Dynasty
Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam is perhaps a shining example of “dynasty” in the Sri Lankan Tamil political realm. He belongs to the third generation of Ponnambalams in politics. (not to be confused with Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan or Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam).
GG Ponnambalam
Gajendrakumar’s paternal grandfather Ganapathy Gaangaesar Ponnambalam known as GG Ponnambalam (snr) was the founder president of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress. He was a brilliant lawyer who appeared with distinction in some of the most controversial cases of his time. GG Ponnambalam was the uncrowned political leader of Sri Lankan Tamils for nearly two decades before and after Independence from the British. He represented Point Pedro Constituency in the State Council from 1934 to 1947 and the Jaffna electorate in Parliament from 1947 to 1960 and 1965 to 1970.
Ponnambalam served as Minister of Industries, Industrial Research and Fisheries from 1949 to 1953 in the UNP led Governments of D.S. Senanayake and Dudley Senanayake. GG became famous for espousing the political claim of balanced representation referred to as “fifty – fifty” in popular parlance. GG wanted a “balanced” legislature with 50 % seats for the Sinhala majority and 50 % for all the minorities together.
Kumar Ponnambalam
GG Ponnambalam’s son and Gajendrakumar’s father was Gasinather Gangaser Ponnambalam or GG Ponnambalam jnr. He was however popularly known as Kumar Ponnambalam.Kumar was also a leading lawyer who appeared for many youths charged under the draconian prevention of terrorism act(PTA) free of charge.Kumar was heavily involved in politics leading the Tamil Congress after the demise of his father. Though Kumar made waves in politics he was never elected to any political office during his lifetime.
Kumar Ponnambalam contested Jaffna electorate in 1977 under the earlier first past the post winner system and was defeated. He led a list of ACTC candidates at the Jaffna electoral district under the proportionate representation system in 1989 and lost again. In 1994 Kumar led an all – Tamil independent list in Colombo but was unsuccessful again. GG Ponnambalam (jnr) shot into national prominence in 1982 when he contested Sri Lanka’s first ever Presidential election. Kumar came fourth out of six candidates polling over 173,000 votes.
In later years Kumar Ponnambalam began praising the LTTE openly. He kept issuing provocative statements supportive of the LTTE while living in Colombo. Kumar was assassinated on January 5th 2000 in Colombo. His bullet riddled body was found in his vehicle on a lane off Ramakrishna Road in Wellawatte.
A few days prior to his murder Kumar Ponnambalam had written an open letter to then president Chandrika Kumaratunga. He prefaced it with the lines -”I write as a Tamil Eelavan. But more importantly, I write as an unalloyed, unrepentant supporter of the political philosophy of the LTTE and as one who, with that conviction, lives in the South. I write as one who has publicly stated this position of mine not only within this island but also without, and both verbally and in writing”. Tiger supremo Veluppillai Prabhakaran conferred the posthumous honour “Maamanithan” (Great human) upon Kumar Ponnambalam.
GG’s Grandson,Kumar’s son
GG Ponnambalam’s grandson and Kumar’s son Gajendrakumar Gangaser Ponnambalam was born on January 16th 1974.After completing his primary and secondary school studies at Royal College, Colombo and the Colombo International school, Gajendrakumar went to London for tertiary studies. He read law at the London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies and obtained a LL.B degree. He then enrolled at the Lincolns inn to be a Barrister-at-law. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam was called to the bar of England and Wales in 1997. Thereafter he was admitted to the Law College in Colombo to be qualified as an Attorney-at-law in Sri Lanka. He took his oaths in 1999.
Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam entered active politics after the death of his father. In 2001, four Tamil organizations namely the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) and the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) came together as the Tamil National Alliance. Gajendrakumar contested in Jaffna and was elected to Parliament. In 2004 he contested from Jaffna again on the TNA list and won. He was for a time regarded as the blue eyed boy of former TNA leader Rajavarothayam Sampanthan and many predicted a bright political future for Gajendrakumar within the folds of the TNA. This however was not to be.
Kajendran and Padmini
Though the Tamil National Alliance came into being independently it came under the control of the LTTE later on. In 2004 the LTTE finalised the TNA lists of candidates and also rigged the elections. The TNA won twenty two seats including two on the national list in 2004. Among the TNA (described by the EPDP’s Douglas Devananda as tiger nominated agents) Parliamentarians, two were identified as being very close to the LTTE hierarchy. They were Mr. Selvarajah Kajendran and Ms. Padmini Sithambaranathan.
Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam was very close to this duo. Interestingly Kajendran, Padmini and Gajendrakumar were first (112,077), second (68,240) and third (60,770) respectively in the preference vote tally for Jaffna in the LTTE rigged 2004 parliamentary election.
Things however changed after May 2009 and when polls were announced in 2010 the situation was different. When Selvarajah Kajendran and Padmini Sithambaranathan were close to the LTTE hierarchy earlier, they used that “influence” to undermine and defy the TNA leadership. Like the cobra around Lord Shiva’s neck inquiring the well-being of the Karudan or Kite bird this duo had disregarded the TNA leaders due to their tiger clout They had disrespected several other academics and professionals in Jaffna too.
Both Kajendran and Padmini had also been involved with Jaffna university politics. They were instrumental in politicising undergrads to unacceptable pro – tiger levels and were instrumental in organizing a series of “Pongu Thamil” (Tamil Upsurge) demonstrations. They were also involved in inciting students into violent demonstrations on the lines of the Palestinian “Intifada.” But after Mahinda Rajapaksa became President and his brother Gotabaya the Defence Secretary the State began striking back.
A massive crackdown through both routine channels and unorthodox methods was launched against tiger and pro-tiger elements in Jaffna. Naturally sections of the student population had to bear the brunt of this “anti- tiger offensive”. But Kajendran and Padmini who had played a major role in instigating these students were not there to stand by the victims to whose misery they had contributed. Instead they took refuge first in the Wanni and later in foreign countries. After exposing the student community to danger and hardship, this couple was nowhere to be seen during troubled times.
2010 Elections
However, when elections were scheduled in 2010 both Kajendran and Padmini returned home and prepared to contest again. But the long-suffering TNA leadership was not prepared to oblige. Furthermore, substantial sections of the Jaffna student population as well as Jaffna academics and professionals indicated quietly to the TNA leaders that nominating the couple would not be welcomed.What happened thereafter would be related in a forthcoming article
D.B.S. Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com
This article appears in the “DBS Jeyaraj Column “of the “Daily Mirror”dated 3rd May 2025.It can be accessed here-
https://www.dailymirror.lk/opinion/Will-Gajendrakumar-Ponnambalam-be-the-Future-Tamil-Political-Leader/172-307979
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