Late Jai Ram Reddy’s vision has not gone in vain, said Deputy Prime Minister and National Federation Party leader Professor Biman Prasad while speaking at a memorial for late Jai Ram Reddy in Auckland on Friday night.
Prof Prasad said the NFP is immensely proud that against all odds that prevailed in the past 16 years, party members and stalwarts did not shirk the late Mr Reddy’s vision.
“We did not abandon the values and objectives of the party that formed the basis of the foundation of the South Pacific’s oldest political party that will in three weeks celebrate 60 years of existence,” he said.
“Mr Reddy single-handedly identified people who believed in his vision to join the NFP.
He convinced academics like Professor Wadan Narsey and I to become active politicians.
He identified trade unionists like Attar Singh, who became the general secretary of the party and also served as its leader for the 2001 and 2006 general elections.
“Mr Reddy’s vision made us with a few others who firmly believed in him and respected his sacrifice to ensure the NFP remained a viable and visionary political party during its darkest years from 1999 to 2014.
“We never let our detractors succeed in destroying the party, despite the fact we were out of Parliament.”
Prof Prasad said ahead of the party’s 60 years of political life, the NFP is in government.
“This is what Mr Reddy wanted. He believed the NFP would play a significant role in making Fiji a land of hope and opportunity.
“30 years after Mr Reddy outlined his vision for Fiji, the NFP, as part of a Coalition Government, is building a nation that will fulfil its promise and lead to a prosperous future for all our people.
“Good things are not achieved overnight. It will take time. But we will get there. We have to. We owe this to Justice Jai Ram Reddy.
“We will not let Mr Reddy’s selfless sacrifice go to waste.”
