Ambalal Dahyabhai Patel, better known as A.D. Patel (13 March 1905 – 1 October 1969), was a Fijian politician, farmers' leader and founder and leader of the National Federation Party. Patel was uncompromisingly committed to a vision of an independent Fiji, with full racial integration. He was one of the first to advocate a republic, an ideal not realized in his lifetime. He also advocated a common voters' roll and opposed the communal franchise that characterized Fijian politics.
Early life
Patel was born in the Kheda district of Gujarat, India, on 13 March 1905. He had three brothers and a sister. Ambalal and his younger brother, R. D. Patel, became barristers in Fiji (hence they were known as A.D. and R.D.). Ambalal received his primary and secondary education in Nadiad, which was the site used by Gandhi when he began his non-violent protest in India. He developed a habit of reading very early in his school days and excelled in secondary school. He then entered the prestigious Gujarat College in Ahmedabad and studied economics, politics and history. He graduated with Bachelor of Arts with honours in 1925 at the age of 20.
Following his early academic success, he was sent to prepare to sit for the Indian Civil Service (ICS) examination. He enrolled in the London School of Economics to improve his chances of success in the exam by gaining direct experience of the English intellectual, social and political scene. In London he rubbed shoulders with other intellectuals from the sub-continent and became aware of the plight of Indians living in the other colonies. He changed his original plan for an ICS career without conferring with his parents joined the Middle Temple to qualify as a barrister, graduating in 1928 at the age of 23.
First marriage
Patel's father tried to persuade him to return and practice law in India and to help with the education of his younger siblings, but in the end helped pay his son's fare from London to Fiji, where he arrived on 11 October 1928. A reason for Patel to not want to return to India was his relationship with an English divorcee, Patricia Catherall Seymour, who had a son from her previous marriage. This was unacceptable for the Patel clan in India, especially since he had been betrothed to a girl from his community before leaving for London. Patricia Seymour arrived in Suva with her young son in 1933, and she and Patel were formally married on 25 January 1934. Their inter-racial marriage was strained by racially defined social hierarchy in Fiji. Patricia was ostracised by the local Europeans and she was unable to communicate with the local Indians. The couple separated in 1939 and divorced in 1943 and Patricia left for New Zealand.
Early involvement in politics
Patel was involved in the 1929 Legislative Council election campaign, together with S. B. Patel and Vishnu Deo, but was ineligible to stand as he did not meet the two-year residency requirement for candidates. He was involved in discussions with the Governor, Sir Murchison Fletcher, to resolve the political crisis brought about by the walkout of Fiji Indian members of the Legislative Council when their demand for common roll was rejected.
By 1930 Patel had taken up leadership positions in a number of organisations. These included president of the Fiji Indian Congress, formed from the merger of two rival organisations, president of the Indian association of Fiji, president of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Patron of the Gujarat Mandal.
In 1935, when there was a proposal to have members of the Legislative Council nominated, instead of elected, Patel, together with Vishnu Deo, led the anti-nomination campaign from outside parliament as President and Secretary of the Indian Association of Fiji.
First election
Patel stood in the 1937 Legislative Council election for the North Western Indian Division. His opponent was Chattur Singh, a law clerk. Chattur Singh polled 671 votes to Patel's 651. Patel's loss was a surprise, especially since he was supported by the Indian Leadership in Fiji, which included Vishnu Deo. His defeat was due to a number of factors. Chattur Singh was a well known Ba resident, he was the President of the Ba branch of the Indian Association and his elder brother, Parmanand Singh, was one of the 3 Indians elected to the Legislative Council in 1929, Patel had angered the Muslim community because of his strong public stance against nomination (The Muslims had asked for their own representative to be nominated), Patel was a Gujarati whom the farmers saw as exploiters because of the high interest rate charged by the Gujarati merchants. The deciding factor was that Chattur Singh had turned the election to one between Fiji-born and India–born and Patel did not make the situation better when he labelled Singh as having been born in a cane field.
General Manager of Sangam
In 1930 when the Sangam set up its first school, Patel became its manager. A. D. worked closely with Sadhu Kuppuswami, the founder of the Sangam, and Swami Avinashananda, sent by the Ramakrishna Mission on a fact finding mission to find out ways of promoting South Indian languages. On 31 October 1937 the Sangam was registered as a limited liability company, with Patel as general manager. Patel managed to persuade the government to exempt the Sangam from laws limiting ownership of land so that the Sangam could own up to one thousand acres (4 km2). Furthermore, Patel sought Sangam representation on the Board of Education, appealed for help in getting teachers from India to teach South Indian languages, and sought building grants from the Government. His persistence paid off when the Government paid the cost to bring two South Indian teachers from India to teach in Sangam schools. Patel's involvement in the Sangam deepened with the arrival of Swami Rudrananda in 1939.
Establishment of the Maha Sangh
Although, in 1938, he had rejected overtures by the Kisan Sangh to take over its leadership, in June 1941, Patel formed the Maha Sangh with the support of Swami Rudrananda. In 1943, he led the sugar cane farmers on a prolonged strike after his demands for an increase in the price of sugar cane in line with inflation was rejected by the Colonial Sugar Refining Company. When the majority of farmers refused to harvest their cane, the Government invoked the Defence Regulation and restricted Patel and Swami Rudrananda to a radius of five miles (8 km) from their homes in Nadi and required them to inform the police in person of their movements. Both Patel and Rudrananda decided to disobey the order and it landed both of them in court. This stirred up the farmers and a large number gathered in Nadi, holding prayer meetings. Shops were closed throughout the Western division. Both were fined £50 each or one month's prison in default. Both refused to pay, but before the five days allowed was over, an anonymous well-wisher paid the fine but Patel later won the case on appeal. The strike in the middle of a world war and his call for Indians to not join the army until they were given the same pay and conditions as Europeans, created a rift between Indians and Fijians which is remembered to this day.
Election wins and losses
The 1943 strike propelled Patel to the forefront of the political arena in Fiji and he easily won the 1944 Legislative Council election, defeating the sitting member for North West Viti Levu, by 1841 votes to 554. He retained the seat in the 1947 election, defeating Chattur Singh by 1972 votes to 1106. In 1948, with the support of three of the five ethnic Indians in the Legislative Council, he was appointed to the Executive Council, outmaneuvering his one-time ally Vishnu Deo. In the legislative council elections in 1950, however, he was defeated by Tulsi Ram Sharma of the rival Kisan Sangh. In the 1953 election, he was defeated by his old rival, Ayodhya Prasad of the Kisan Sangh, by 2718 votes to 1919 votes. During his days in the political wilderness, Patel concentrated on his law practice and continued to support the Sangam and the Ramakrishna Mission.
Family life
In 1947, while in India, Patel married Leela Ben, 20-year-old daughter of an old acquaintance of his. Patel then was 42 years old. They had five children and the break from politics between 1950 and 1963 allowed Patel to devote more time to his family and to his law practice.
1960 sugar cane dispute
With the 1950 contract due to expire in 1960, the Colonial Sugar Refining Company (CSR), in January 1959, drafted a new contract which rolled back most of the gains made by the farmers in the last 20 years. The growers were suspicious of the Company and in May 1959 decided to work together by forming the Federation of Cane Growers. Patel was a leading member of the Federation. A number of meetings were held between the Growers Federation, the Company and the Government. The Company refused to back down as it had a lot of sugar in stock and the talks soon broke down. The Governor suggested a commission of inquiry but this was rejected by Patel, who instead proposed a court of arbitration.
On 24 July 1960, Ayodhya Prasad of Kisan Sangh and Vijay R. Singh of Labasa Kisan Sangh, broke away and signed an agreement with CSR for the purchase of the 1960 crop. Tensions rose as Patel's opponents, B. D. Lakshman and Vijay R. Singh, accused him of again dividing the Indians and leading them further into debt and some Fijians, including Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, made calls to have Patel deported. The government appointed a commission of inquiry, headed by Sir Malcolm Trustram Eve, into the sugar industry. The Federation Committee was represented by Patel, assisted by S.M. Koya. Patel wanted legislation compelling CSR to keep it book of accounts in Fiji so that the Company could not cheat farmers from the proceeds of molasses, establishment of growers co-operative mills to break the monopoly of the CSR, setting up of an independent Sugar Board to oversee smooth functioning of the industry and the abolition of the Sugar Price Stabilisation Fund.
The finding of the commission was mostly against the demands of Patel. The idea of cooperative mill was rejected because the commission believed that the farmers could not manage it when could not even manage farms on their own. The commission supported CSR's idea of setting up wholly owned subsidiary for managing its activities in Fiji and the South Pacific Sugar Mills Limited was born. Future levies to the Sugar price Stabilisation Fund were abolished, although the fund remained in existence. Instead of a Sugar Board the commission recommended an Advisory Sugar Council. The commission agreed that the CSR had profited from molasses but did not recommend price increases demanded by growers. The commission supported the Company's submission of production control by weight instead of area. On the question of sharing the proceeds from the sale of sugar, the growers ended up worse off, getting a basic share of 57.75%, much less than what had been obtained under the 1950-1959 contract (62.6%). Eve also criticised Patel for adopting policies that harmed the growers and not showing a greater sense of responsibility to the country of his adoption.
Formation of Federation Party
The Federation Committee contested the 1963 Legislative Council election under the banner of Citizens Federation. It was not a properly constituted political party but sought to promote economic, cultural and political progress and stability in a united Fiji. All three Citizen's Federation candidates were elected to the Legislative Council. Patel defeated Deo Sharma, president of the Kisan Sangh by 6244 votes to 3346.