Navaratnam’s Warning: Pon. Ramanathan’s Politics Strengthened Sinhala Dominance

The US Tamil Diaspora also highlights the powerful historical analysis presented by V. Navaratnam, one of the most principled and farsighted Tamil political thinkers of the 20th century.
In examining early Tamil leaders, Navaratnam delivered a decisive critique of Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan, a figure long praised for intellect and scholarship.

Ramanathan’s Leadership — Brilliant Mind, Damaging Politics

Navaratnam acknowledged Ramanathan’s legal brilliance but argued that his political decisions repeatedly favored Sinhala interests at the expense of Tamil rights.
A defining example is Ramanathan’s 1915 journey to London to defend Sinhala rioters—while Muslims were the victims and Tamils gained nothing. Navaratnam saw this as the birth of a dangerous pattern in Tamil politics:

appeasement of Sinhala elites in exchange for personal prestige.

He stressed that Ramanathan:

• Opposed early Tamil communal representation
• Promoted a vague “Ceylonese nationalism” that ignored Sinhala nationalism
• Misjudged the depth of Sinhala majoritarian ideology
• Left Tamils politically undefended during crucial formative decades

According to Navaratnam, Ramanathan’s errors weakened Tamil unity and laid the foundation for later Sinhala-majoritarian policies—“Sinhala Only,” systemic discrimination, and the erosion of Tamil political power.

A Lesson for Today

Navaratnam’s message is timeless:

Tamil leadership must never again repeat the mistakes of seeking Sinhala approval through compromise, underestimating Sinhala nationalism, or abandoning Tamil political safeguards for elite comfort.

Conclusion

Tamil survival and political dignity depend on principled leadership, unwavering rights-based scholarship, and the rejection of appeasement politics—past or present.

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Summary of Navaratnam’s Relevant Pages

V. Navaratnam’s critique of Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan is drawn mainly from three sections of his book The Fall and Rise of the Tamil Nation, particularly pages 27–46, 73–82, and 90–94.

Pages 27–46 — Early Tamil Leadership Failure

In these chapters, Navaratnam analyzes how Ramanathan’s political strategies weakened the Tamil nation.
He argues that:

• Ramanathan defended Sinhala interests—even traveling to London in 1915 to support Sinhala rioters
• He opposed early Tamil communal safeguards
• He promoted a naïve “Ceylonese nationalism” that ignored rising Sinhala majoritarianism

Navaratnam explains that these choices left Tamils politically unprotected during a formative period.

Pages 73–82 — Consequences for Tamil Rights

Here Navaratnam outlines how the early failures of Tamil elites allowed Sinhala nationalism to grow unchecked.
He connects Ramanathan’s decisions to the later:

• “Sinhala Only” Act
• Systematic discrimination against Tamils
• Denial of political equality and safeguards

This section shows how early compromises created the structural conditions for later oppression.

Pages 90–94 — Lessons for Future Tamil Leadership

These pages emphasize the need to avoid repeating past mistakes.
Navaratnam stresses:

• Tamil leaders must never seek Sinhala approval through appeasement
• Tamil political rights must never be traded for elite acceptance
• The Tamil nation must defend itself with unity, clarity, and realism

This section summarizes his warning: early miscalculations led to long-term Tamil vulnerability.