Ranasinghe Premadasa: A milestone in turning point of Malayaha Tamils’ lives

Ranasinghe Premadasa 

Late Prime Minister and President Ranasinghe Premadasa is remembered as a leader, who prioritised the poor and marginalised communities in the country. His political career was marked by efforts to uplift marginalised groups, and the Indian-origin Malayaha Tamils were among the key beneficiaries. Through granting citizenship and political inclusion, providing housing and electricity, offering welfare and the Janasaviya poverty alleviation program, developing education and recruiting 1,000 teachers with O/L qualifications to plantation schools, and expanding garment factory projects towards plantation areas to generate new employment opportunities, he contributed to their gradual integration into Sri Lankan society. Though challenges remained, Premadasa’s efforts supported the Malayaha people to move forward on a new path, breaking historical barriers. His legacy continues to be viewed as one of social justice and grassroots empowerment for communities such as the Malayaha Tamils, long excluded from mainstream development.

Premadasa’s policies and initiatives directly or indirectly impacted Indian-origin Tamils, especially Malayaha Tamils, during his political career and leadership. During his early political career in the 1970s, as a minister and later Prime Minister, Hon. Premadasa emphasised poverty alleviation and housing, laying the groundwork for estate Tamil inclusion for the first time in their history. He also began promoting policies that recognised the needs of plantation workers, most of whom were Malayaha Tamils.

Between 1978 and 1989, when Premadasa was the Prime Minister, he enacted the Citizenship Act in 1988 to grant Sri Lankan citizenship to stateless Indian-origin Malayaha Tamils. Due to this provision, many Indian-origin Tamils gained Sri Lankan citizenship after four decades of statelessness. He backed these measures, encouraging their political participation and providing opportunities through his political party. His Presidency saw greater representation of Indian-origin Tamils in Parliament and local councils, strengthening their voice in national politics.

In the 1980s, he pushed for improvements in plantation housing, while serving as the Housing Minister with the support of foreign donors and the Gam Udawa program. The nationwide housing and village development program also extended to plantation areas. He provided better housing, sanitation, and community infrastructure, directly improving living conditions for estate workers. This gave plantation people the opportunity to move beyond the cramped “line rooms” that had defined estate life.

During his Presidency from 1989 to 1993, Premadasa expanded housing schemes to include estate communities, giving Malayaha Tamils access to permanent housing outside plantations. He also promoted plantation education by recruiting 1,000 teachers from plantation youth and providing infrastructure facilities to plantation schools, helping Malayaha Tamil children access education.

For the first time in their history, the plantation community was included in the State’s poverty alleviation (Janasaviya) scheme. He promoted schools and welfare programs in plantation regions. Vocational training opportunities were also expanded to plantation areas, providing training through their mother tongue, Tamil. Further, he established many garment factories around plantation areas under his 200 Garment Factory Project, which encouraged diversification of employment among the younger generation, both male and female, beyond tea plantations. This opened opportunities for estate Tamils in urban and suburban areas.

Premadasa played a significant role in improving the socio-economic conditions of Indian-origin Tamils and integrating the marginalised Malayaha Tamil community into mainstream Sri Lankan society.

His timeline shows a consistent focus on housing, welfare, education, employment, and political inclusion for Malayaha Tamils. His initiatives marked a turning point in the lives of Malayaha Tamils, facilitating their integration and improvement. He helped normalise the integration of Indian-origin Tamils into the mainstream of the country.

(Writer is a Member of Parliament and Leader of Up-Country People’s Front)