A. D. Patel (Ayodhya Prasad Patel, 1905–1969) was a prominent Fijian Indian politician, lawyer, and leader who played a crucial role in advocating for the rights of the Indian community in Fiji. Born in Gujarat, India, he migrated to Fiji in 1928, where he became a key figure in the fight for social justice and political equality for Indo-Fijians, particularly in the colonial context of British-ruled Fiji.
Patel founded the National Federation Party (NFP), the leading political party representing Indo-Fijians, and campaigned tirelessly for a non-racial, democratic system of governance in Fiji. He also advocated for the welfare of sugarcane farmers, who were predominantly of Indian descent, and played a key role in negotiating fairer terms for them within the colonial economy.
A. D. Patel Quotes
- “There is a clear acknowledgement all over the world that we should not teach people to read and then leave them without literature. For they would then relapse into a dreary and ultimately dangerous state of half-education, in which they would be easily satisfied by crude semi-pictorial approximations of the strip cartoon and by the abundant supply of degenerate literature which destroys, rather than promotes, a capacity to face the problems of the world with skill and courage.”
— A. D. Patel - “Communal franchise is wrong in principle and harmful in practice; the time has come in Fiji for all races to get out of the thin water-tight compartments and start thinking in terms of residents of Fiji.”
— A. D. Patel - “We need university education in Fiji and must seriously think about starting post-secondary education in Fiji. In the near future we hope to see a university college in Fiji and ultimately a fully-fledged university.”
— A. D. Patel - “I believe that it is of the utmost importance that we all should feel and inculcate among the people and circulate amongst them what I call a sense of compatriotism. We should all feel that we are nationals of one country, whatever our race, colour, creed, or sect.”
— A. D. Patel
