When Ikbal Jannif walked out of Marist Brothers High School, he had achieved some things most schoolboys only dream of.
In 1961, when he was in the fifth form, he became the secretary of Augustine House under Captain Bill Narruhn.
The following year in the sixth form, he became the vice-captain of Augustine House under Captain Robert Southey, and they went on to win the Bentley Shield as athletic champions for the first time.
In the book, Memoirs of Fiji and Beyond, co-authored by Mr Jannif and twelve of his classmates at Marist Brothers’ High School (MBHS) from 1959 to 1965, he said Caines Jannif encouraged their staff to become involved in religious and community affairs.
It must come as no surprise that Mr Jannif rejoined the brotherhood when he returned to Fiji from New Zealand.
“I took over the presidency of the Marist Brothers’ High School Old Boys Association from Bernard Chandra just before he left to take up employment overseas,” he said.
“Bernard and his team had already decided to build an assembly hall for the school to celebrate Br Lambert’s 60th anniversary as a Marist Brother.”
The Fiji National Provident Fund agreed to provide a 15-year loan, but needed not only security over the school property, but also two personal guarantees.
“One guarantee was provided by Berenado Vunibobo, a leading figure in the committee, and I provided the other.
“With repayment at just under $19,000 per annum, it was agreed that the hall would raise half from hire charges, and the school would fund the balance through its annual fundraising.”
Soon after the official opening, Mr Vunibobo left to become Fiji’s ambassador at the United Nations, Brother Brian Knowles, the school principal with whom the 50/50 deal had been struck, left for Rome.
“I was truly left holding the proverbial can.”
On top of that, Brother Majella Sherry, who had come in to replace Br Brian told Mr Jannif at their first meeting, in no uncertain terms, that he was in Suva to run the school, and not to repay a debt.
“Br Majella finally came around, and the school’s efforts doubled.
“This gave the Old Boys Association the impetus to increase its own activities.”
The spirit that the Marist Old Boys – the MOB – carry with them in their gatherings probably started to grow from here.
“George Reade, Jim Bingwor, and their wives and families were always very supportive.”
Some others needed a little more convincing to help out.
“Br Peter, my old chemistry teacher, had retired from teaching and was recruited to assist. He gave himself the title of ‘debt collector’, had a business card printed and started travelling around the country visiting old boys and terrorising them into fronting up.”
You can only rely on good will for so long before you need to get something really going.
“The support pool was getting weary, so something big, bold, and new had to be done.”
The committee decided on a lottery, with a three-bedroom house built on land that it bought as first prize.
The catholic schools of Suva also pitched in.
Deals were made with St Joseph’s Secondary, St Anne’s, St Columba’s, and St Marcelin Primary Schools, to forego their annual fundraising and help sell the 100,000 $2 tickets printed for the lottery.
“After expenses and payouts to the schools, the lottery netted $115,000.”
The final accounts passed audit, the loan was paid off, and Mr Jannif was a free man.
In 1978, the feat was recognised and earned him a spot on the inaugural Fiji Sports Council, charged with getting sports facilities ready for the South Pacific Games in 1979.
Mr Jannif was also made chairman of the games fund raising committee, and with the success of the Lambert Hall lottery fresh in his mind, he convinced the committee to have a lottery.
“A three-bedroom house in Pacific Harbour was the first prize and the lottery netted $50,000.”
Mr Jannif stayed with the sports council until 1989 and was vice chairman from 1985.
He joined the board of the Fiji Arts Council in 1984 and became vice chairman from 1986 to 1989.
When the 1987 coup happened, Mr Jannif was president of the Suva Chamber of Commerce and was thrust into the presidency of the Fiji Australia Business Council (FABC).
Both positions put him in the front line against the coup makers.
“As chamber president, I was expected to convince Suva retailers to keep their shops open.
“As FABC president, I was expected to keep trade links between Australia and Fiji open, which was more difficult.”
When Ratu Sir Kamisese Kapaiwai Tuimacilai Mara returned as prime minister after the second coup, he was pushing a “look north policy” and the then Labour Prime Minister of Australia, Bob Hawke, was openly sabotaging Fiji-Australia trade relations, supporting union boycotts of ships loading cargo for Fiji.
In 1995, he was appointed chairman of a committee of inquiry into allegations of corruption in the department of customs and excise, which
brought him into conflict with many of his trader friends.
“Many of whom were not beyond slipping some grog money to wharf workers to have their cargo given priority.”
The report criticised governments reluctance to take those caught bribing customs officials to task, and he resisted attempts by a minister at the time to mince his words before its presentation in Parliament, and believed the report led in part to the customs and inland revenue departments coming together under the Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority.
Mr Jannif became a director of the Reserve Bank of Fiji in 1993 and stayed there through the National Bank of Fiji crisis as chairman of the audit committee from 1994 to 1999.
“Everyone ducked for cover when the proverbial hit the fan.”
The board was cleared when he produced his boarding meeting papers and handwritten notes, which showed investigators it did all it could to avoid the disaster.
In 1995, when the Small Claims Tribunal was formed to ease pressure on the Civil Courts, Chief Justice Sir Timoci Tuivaga approached him to put his name forward and he was appointed as a referee.
Empowered to hear personal claims of up to $2000, claimants and respondents had to represent themselves at the tribunal.
“Finally the man on the street could have his day in court without having to pay a hefty legal fee.”
Being trilingual was a blessing in his new position.
“Orders were handed down based on fairness, equity, and natural justice, not on the letter of the law.”
Of course, not all the good people of this country were in rapture, especially those who were usually wigged and robed.
Mr Jannif’s long involvement with the University of the South Pacific began in 1989 when he was appointed to the council as Fiji Government rep by then permanent secretary of Education Hari Ram, until 1994 and again from 2007 to 2012.
He retired after 18 years on the council and was recalled to deal with an “out-of-control” vice chancellor.
“Following pages of special audit reports and hours of tough negotiations, we managed to convince him to exit USP.”
He was a co-opted member from 1994 to 2006, and was deputy chair of the council from 1993 to 1994, and again from 2008 to 2012.
He was also chairman of the audit committee from 1999 to 2012 and pro-chancellor and chair of council from 2012 to 2015 when he resigned to return to the Fiji National University – which he helped amalgamate from six different institutions – as chancellor and chairman of the council.
In 2018 USP bestowed an honorary doctorate for his services to education in Fiji and the region.
Mr Jannif made history in 2005 when he was inducted as the first non-Catholic honorary Marist Brother, in appreciation for his efforts for or on behalf of the Marist Brothers in Fiji.
Apart from the many projects and school fundraisings over the years, this included writing the Constitution for the Marist Brothers’ Board of Education and serving as it first chairman.
• The story continues next week.
