|
Canadian Sikh
Agenda to be released by March-end
WSN Bureau
VANCOUVER:
A British
Sikh leader, Dabinderjit Singh, a former member of the International
Sikh Youth Federation, is currently on a Canadian speaking tour to
gather support for a new lobby group for the larger Sikh cause and
is trying to forge some sort of understanding with Canadian
politicians. Media reports said most of the agenda is “about issues
affecting Sikhs in their countries of residence, such as increased
political representation, government funding for Sikh schools and
groups and in
Canada,
working with police to tackle the gang and drug problems.”
His efforts also
include a review of the ban on Babbar Khalsa and the ISYF but he
recognizes that the issue could trigger controversy and is going
rather low profile on this one.
Dabinderjit
Singh, a
UK
citizen and an adviser to the Sikh Federation (U.K.), had hit
headlines when he once met the Queen wearing an ISYF jacket. He is
working with like-minded Canadian Sikhs to put forward a political
platform that advances the human rights of Sikhs around the world.
Earlier this month, on February 9, he spoke at
Surrey’s
Dasmesh Darbar gurdwara, an event which the
Vancouver Sun
reported but not without its typical anti-Sikh bias as it noted that
the gurdwara “has several former ISYF leaders on its board.”
| |
Know Dabinderjit Singh
 In
its efforts to run down Dabinderjit Singh, the Vancouver Sun did
not care to mention why he had met the Queen. Dabinderjit Singh
has worked at the UK’s National Audit Office for nearly two
decades and since January 2006 has been Director in the
Department of Health & Arms Length Bodies. In March 2004 he was
also appointed the first Chair of the EU College of External
Auditors for the European Defence Agency. With almost 20 year
experience in the audit sector, Dabinderjit Singh was awarded an
OBE in 2000 for work for the National Audit Office, promotion of
Equal Opportunities, services to the public and contribution in
representing the British Sikh community. |
|
To quote from
the Sun’s report: “The forum, held at the Grand Taj banquet hall,
drew interested Sikhs from the U.S., Australia, Edmonton and
Calgary. A day later, he spoke at the Dasmesh Darbar (gurdwara),
where he said that politicians should have to commit to supporting
some of the Sikh Agenda before getting to speak at (gurdwaras) or
events like the coming Vaisakhi parade. “What you need to do is sit
down with politicians in advance of giving them time on the stage
and say, ‘Look, we have an agenda,’” Singh explained. “In Canada,
everyone turns up to Vaisakhi.”
 Singh said his
U.K.
group came out with its Sikh Agenda after the ISYF was banned there
in 2001 and has continued to lobby politicians on several fronts.
His efforts are in response to a perceived desire of Sikhs in Canada
to develop the same approach by having a more organized platform to
put to politicians. Dabinderjit Singh said the Canadian Sikh Agenda
will be formally released at the end of March and part of the
efforts are also directed at opening two Sikh resource centres - one
in B.C. and one in Ontario - with government funding if possible. He
was in Canada for three weeks. The Vancauver Sun typically jumped
the gun and tried to negate something which even Dabinderjit Singh
did not claim: “Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said he has not
been approached by anyone lobbying to delist the banned groups,” the
newspaper reported, without mentioning, of course, that Dabinderjit
Singh had not even made that claim.
20
February 2008
|
Read Also
