On 29 August 2022, Fiji lost one of its greatest sons in Jai Ram Reddy, an illustrious lawyer, a distinguished politician and an eminent jurist who served as the President of the Fiji Court of Appeal and later as a judge on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda from 2003-2008.
He was gifted with suave deportment and carried that aura of dignity, which earned him respect even from those who did not know him.
Whatever vocation he took, he excelled in each, drawing applause and admiration in no ordinary way.
For example, when he retired from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in 2008, he received a valedictory note from Judge Erik Mose, the former President of the Tribunal, which truly amplified his eminence.
He wrote – “During his time in Arusha, Judge Reddy made significant contribution to international criminal justice.
He was an extraordinary judge, fair and efficient. In all his activities, he demonstrated his eminence, constantly maintaining the highest standards of judicial and human integrity.
He was highly respected and admired. It was sheer privilege to sit with Judge Reddy on the bench. He immediately saw the core of the matter, irrespective of its complexity.
When addressing intricate legal problems, he drew on his extensive judicial experience, profound insight and judicial touch.
He possessed the rare gift of being open-minded but yet principled, cooperative but firm. His commitment to fairness was unwavering. He was an appreciated colleague and treasured friend.
Judge Jai Ram Reddy has left his mark on the world map.”
I always found him to be thoughtful and insightful whose probity on issues that concerned Fiji drew the best out of him, as he, unlike most, thought not only for the community to whom he belonged but also for others in Fiji.
People largely recognised him for his public service as a politician but this was not to claim that he was less known as a lawyer or a judge.
He served Fiji during one of the most critical periods of her history, following the first military coup in 1987. In the aftermath, the nation simmered with racism, as Fiji pulsed with anger, malice and racial hatred.
The majority had thought that the damage done was irreversible, triggering massive emigration of Indo-Fijians to the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
However, Jai Ram Reddy considered the coup as a serious misstep by those misinformed and misguided, which needed to be righted through dialogue and discussion across cultures with love, forgiveness and goodwill.
In pursuit of this, his faith in Fiji rising from the ashes was not lost nor his vision dimmed.
On this premise, Jai Ram Reddy embarked on a daunting mission to reconcile a racially polarised nation.
There were few among his circle of friends who shared his vision, which involved working with the then Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka who had executed the coup and openly advocated sustenance of politics of ethnicity. His ultra ethnonationalist advocacy at the time seemed unshakable and yet Jai Ram Reddy saw something in him that others didn’t.
He held numerous private discussions with him, which led to the evolution of an enduring faith and trust in each other to rebuild and restore democracy in Fiji.
In the end, Jai Ram Reddy attained his objectives, which led to the promulgation of the highly acclaimed 1997 Constitution.
The nation seemingly hummed with amity, goodwill and unity and went to the polls in 1999.
Sadly, the ambers of racism were stoked again by reckless politicians during the campaign period, which gave rise to the restoration of politics of ethnicity and racial division.
He and his National Federation Party suffered outright rejection at the polls and he left politics disillusioned at the outcome.
He retired from politics soon after the 1999 election but remained philosophical on the future of Fiji despite the 2000 coup, which removed yet another democratically elected government.
Jai Ram Reddy had hoped to see a true democracy established in Fiji within his lifetime but it was not to be.
The legacy of late Jai Ram Reddy lives, as Fiji’s fragile democracy faces ongoing challenges. People of courage, vision and compassion have become scarce and are now pushed to the periphery of the political spectrum.
The real fear is that tomorrow’s democracy may not sustain its traditional values. We live in an evolving world full of challenges and contradictions but the legacy of our past leaders still endures and the greatest tribute we can pay to people like Jai Ram Reddy is to protect, promote and defend those democratic values and ideals that give honour and dignity to the human civilization.
On the first anniversary, marking Jai Ram Reddy’s death, I join many others to pay my tribute to a leader, friend and colleague who left behind indelible footprints for posterity to emulate.
• VINOD PATEL is the chairman and founder of Vinod Patel Ltd. He is a self-made entrepreneur, philanthropist, and political and community leader. The views expressed in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper.
