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Sikh Youth
create history in Surrey, sweeps out
Balwant Gill & Co.
WSN Bureau
 SURREY,
CANADA: After years, the Sikh Youth slate comprising many university
going students and Amritdharis, of whom most are born or raised in
Canada,
swept the elections to Surrey's Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, defeating
Balwant Singh Gill's slate impressively and turning a leaf in the
community life here.
Headed by presidential candidate Amardeep Singh, a
26-year-old software engineer, the youth group won with 5,900 votes
to Gill's 4,747, following by third place finisher Sadhu Singh Samra,
with 3,947. Samra is also seen as a moderate.
Of the roughly 21,000
Temple members who
are eligible to vote, 14,594 actually did so.
Amardeep Singh is expected to take over from January 1 and it
is likely that the children and the youth will be now on top
priority.
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Winner slate member Randhir Singh
Moving past
the tables and chairs
The tables and chairs issue is as important as Obama's flagpin,
said a few community members, but that may not be true at least
as far as perceptions are concerned. Now, after its victory, the
winners are expected to hold a referendum on the furniture
issue.
Like another
youth slate which controls the Sikh Temple Sukhsagar in New
Westminster, Guru Nanak's new executive is expected to hold
seminars in a bid to discourage young Sikhs from taking drugs
and get them more involved in religion and gurdwara affairs.
"We're a new
generation and we're hoping we can just put the whole community
together again, and you know, move past this issue of the tables
and chairs," said Randheer Singh, a Youth Slate member told CTV
on Sunday. |
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"The members of
Guru Nanak Sikh
Temple, Surrey, BC have loudly declared their support for ushering
in an era of groundbreaking change and reunion in the Sikh Community
of British Columbia by electing the Sikh Youth slate to the
management committee of one of
North America's largest historic Gurdwaras," said a statement on
the slate website.
The Sikh Youth slate members said the development should be
seen as a step towards closing some divides within the community and
creating new paths for peace and prosperity for our youth.
"With the blessings of God and the Guru, we pledge to serve
the entire community with honesty, integrity, universal love and a commitment to the
truth," the statement said.
Both, winner Amardeep Singh and loser Gill had worked
together for years as president and vice-president, but split
acrimoniously in recent months.
Community concerns also include a drift towards gang violence and
the upcoming leadership will have a huge task in responding to the
challenge.
The Akal Takht hukumnama over langar was also a major issue
this time and the winning
 slate was all for
sticking to the spirit
of the hukumnama. A few years ago, placing tables and chairs in
langar
hall had created divisions within the community ranks.
There had been efforts in the past to remove the tables but
now, after the election, Amardeep Singh said there was no rush and
any step will be taken after consultation with the sangat visiting
the gurdwara.
In any case, he said if the furniture is indeed removed,
there will be special provisions for the elderly and the disabled.
There were
almost 20,000 eligible voters for the election of the temple, which
operates as a charitable organization.
25
November
2008
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