Today has witnessed the dawn of the coming together of Sikh individuals and bodies, to create a profile for collective endeavours and representation. The “Sikh Assembly” is the start of a new era that promises progressive and meaningful dialogue to benefit the Sikh community in the UK.
The Sikh Assembly was inaugurated at Nanaksar Gurdwara Walsall on Saturday 12th October 2019, to combine the talent, intelligence, skills, knowledge and abilities of the UK Sikh community. It will be an assembly of individuals, groups and organisations all wanting to encourage and facilitate Sikhs to create a thriving positive environment to enable the Sikh community to flourish and participate as invested members of British public life and society.
The Sikh Assembly has been welcomed as a breath of fresh air, a collaborative innovator and a positive addition to the fabric of political and social engagement in the UK.
The Chief Executive Officer & Chair of the Trustees, Paramjit Kaur Matharu, welcomed and acknowledged the pledges of support from a broad range of existing Sikh organisations and prominent individuals, for their forthcoming work and aspirations saying, “the Sikh community in the UK has a mature and established footprint. Many Sikh bodies and individuals are achieving success in their chosen fields. However, we have not yet created an effective collaborative and connected platform to either fully showcase our achievements, or more importantly highlight areas where a collective voice needs to be heard. Even more importantly the spirit of Chardhi Kala (positive mentality) and Sarbat da Bhalla (for the good of all), requires every Sikh to think beyond self and to be engaged and mindful of societal good. Our hopes and prayers are for the coming together of strong skill sets, partnering and focused investment from the Sikh community to be a force for good in the UK.”
In addition to the Sikh Assembly’s resolve to offer a united Sikh approach to existing and expected issues and those yet to manifest themselves, Daljit Singh the Chief Operating Officer was upbeat and forthcoming with a positive outlook for the future. He stated, “our vision clearly caught the imagination of attendees at our inaugural event. We saw in action, how the vision of a single leading platform, could showcase excellent work being done by groups and individuals. The energy, enthusiasm and excitement were self-evident in the free flow of ideas, experiences and collaborations being shared by all at the event. We believe that this marks a new opportunity and era in the collaboration and partnership of Sikh organisations and individuals, creating a stronger and more united future. We are excited and extremely encouraged by the feedback received and look forward to the official launch of the Sikh Assembly in early 2020.”
Unfortunately, the majority of the people involved in this new organisation, are the ones that left the Sikh Council. Rather than take the time and effort to stay within the Sikh Council and change from within, they have taken the easy option of setting up a new organisations to satisfy their own ego’s.
Sukhvinder Singh (UK)
Sukhvinder Padda replying to a 6 month old article on 1st April 2020 like a genuine April fool. Sour grapes and the inability to control everything must be hard to take.
Those who want positive steps for Sikhs are making moves, you and your ilk continue with the poisoned atmosphere and political bs. Anything the Sikh Federation touch turns to dust, because evil jealous eyes can never give to the Panth of truth.
Sad, but not new.
[…] Sikh Assembly is a newly formed organisation featuring Sikhs known for their work/representation across various areas, from sports […]
Heartiest congratulations to the organisers and community for the inauguration of the Sikh Assembly. Truly a magnificent achievement and Hope for the Community.
Gurfateh Ji
Why is there a need to create yet another organisation, duplicating the efforts of already established Sikh organisations. I imagine it’s because our “leaders” can’t sit around a table and have a dialogue about how to work together through already existing channels; it’s apparently much easier to create a new organisation. Just as it is with Gurdvara Sahibs; our people would rather open a Gurdvara 400 metres away from the existing one, than try to rise above differences and have one hub. It is this exact mentality that causes unnecessary confusion and division amongst Sangat as well as the wider organisations they are trying to engage with. How does the government chose which organisation to engage with, for example? How do all these organisations work together (I doubt they do, which is why there’s so many of them) to create an amazing Gurdvara experience for our next generation; because that is the number one priority, and if we’re more concerned about being affiliated to an organisation than affiliation to the Guru’s message, then I’m afraid we’ve failed our future generations.
It seems like external panth dokhis have nothing to worry about, because the egos within our own community are already doing the damage they seek.
Sangat Ji, let’s learn to work together, to pool our resources, to be able rely on each rather than doubt each other. That is the only way we will become stronger. Duplicating efforts for the sake of having ‘x’ people at the forefront is petty and harmful to panthic ekta.
Gurfateh Ji
Many congratulations to all my brothers and sisters who worked so tirelessly and with dedication towards this most important inauguration.