Profit (and loss) of

a Who’s Who entry

I am sad to note that Pacific Publications is at present un able to put out a new edition of its old Who’s Who. In the mid-’6os while I was practising as a solicitor in Fiji, I had a particular case where a police man was being investigated for corruption. As it happened, his nephew had also been charged.

The nephew’s case was tried in the Supreme Court, and he was acquitted of all charges. The police then decided to do an internal inquiry into the uncle.

The inquiry lasted several days, and the net result was there was a recommendation that the uncle should retire from the force. Subsequently, the uncle having been compulsorily retired, decided to seek com pensation from the government because of his very long years of service.

I duly issued a writ, and was opposed by Mr Justin Lewis, QC, who retired as Fiji’s last pre-independence attorney general and is now practising at the bar in London. It would be difficult to imagine a more aggressive opponent than Jus tin Lewis. He would come into court and roar and roar and make known his displeasure, and would never let any legal point go.

I therefore realised that get ting some sort of settlement out of him would be a very tall order. What Justin did not know was that I had read the Pacific Islands Whos’s Who in minute detail, and one of the questions that had been asked there was “Recreation.” Justin Lewis, who was a literal work aholic had filled his entry in “Recreation: Work”. Later, I met him at a cocktail function, one of the many such functions

which the Pacific Islands seem famous for, and he was in a very happy mood.

Don’t ask me how, but some how 1 knew that he had been authorised by the Treasury to go up to 3000 pounds which was a king’s ransom in those days. I said to him casually, “Look, this matter we should settle,” and he said: “Well, what do you want?” and I said, “Well, the very bottom I could ask for is 3000 pounds. ” To my surprise he said: “Yes, I think I’ll pay that.”

This was in the middle stages of the cocktail party, but as my wife and I were leaving from the Grand Pacific Hotel, Justin Lewis came running down the path and said: “Look that was most unfair. You caught me at a cocktail party, and you caught me unawares.” So I turned around to him with a smile and said, “But Justin, aren’t you the person who filled in the Pacific Islands Who’s Who ‘Recrea tion: Work?’ So 1 presume you work all the time.”

He looked absolutely stun ned and said: “Yes, I suppose you are right. You’ll get the

cheque tomorrow.”

Karam

C. Ramrakha.

Karam C. Ramrakha