From Violence to Voice: Anura's Journey and Its Lessons for Tamils and Sinhalese

Anura's rise offers crucial political lessons for both Tamils and Sinhalese. The JVP's founder, Rohana Wijeweera, took up arms against the Sri Lankan state to seize power but was defeated in 1989, resulting in around 60,000 Sinhalese lives lost due to the state's brutal crackdown. Today, the JVP has risen through democratic means, demonstrating just how far they’ve come without resorting to violence.

For the Sinhalese, the key takeaway is that battlefield victories, such as those against the Tigers in 2009, are not permanent—just as in 1989—unless the underlying grievances of the Tamil community are addressed through the devolution of powers. For the Tamils, the lesson is that resorting to violence is not a cost-effective path to change; patience and persistence will ultimately turn the tide in your favour. While it may sound absurd to some, what seems impossible today doesn’t mean it will be impossible forever.

For example, when J.R. Jayewardene introduced the new constitution in 1978, one of his key motives was rooted in racism. In the 1977 elections, the SLFP was decimated, while the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) swept the North and East, becoming the second-largest party in parliament. Consequently, TULF Leader Amirthalingam assumed the role of Leader of the Opposition.

Jayewardene couldn’t stand the idea of a Tamil-led opposition. To prevent this from happening again, he introduced the proportional representation system, replacing the first-past-the-post voting system. His assumption was that since SL Tamils made up only 13% of the population, they would never secure enough seats to become the second-largest party under the new proportional system.

However, 37 years later, in 2015, Tamil National Alliance (TNA)—once again became the main opposition party when the UNP and SLFP formed a unity government. This shows that even the most carefully calculated political plans can be upended by time and shifting dynamics.

The non-violent path is the most reliable way to achieve political goals with minimal human cost. While progress through non-violence may be slow—often taking generations—it remains the least destructive option. This approach prevents the immense toll of bloodshed and devastation that violent armed struggles inevitably bring, along with the risk of failing to achieve political goals, as seen in 1989 and 2009. 

With a non-violent path, you can never truly lose; it's only a matter of when and how you will win.