Slough Election Update

[jagjit_waheguru]

waheguru ji kekhalsa, waheguru ji ke fateh

Pyare jio, as mentioned before in a previous post the youth have decided to enter the elections in Slough Gurdwara. The youth are not in favour of elections, but in the traditional Paarchi system. Most of this is explained in the below email, "The Demise of Sikhism In Slough". (A following email called Elections vs Paarchi System will discuss it further).

Sunday 1st May, was scheduled to be election day, but due to disputes between the independent Election commission and the Councillors/Sher Group/ruling committee group. It has been delayed for two weeks. Usually in elections, it is the two opposing groups at each others throats. But the carear Punjabi politicians of slough are fighting with the sangat selected independent and un-bias election commission. It came to head, when it was revealed that the councillors are now so scared of losing that they tried to disband the election commission, and run the election themselves. Hence they would hear their own objections and count the votes themselves. So being "judge and jury" on themselves. This is their idea of a "Fair Election". However the 5 member Election Commission won a reprieve from the Charity Commission to stop this bullying from the current committee. Hence the Election Commission did get the full authority to look at objections, and as a result disqualified four people for complaints ranging from criminal convictions, to sleaze allegations. Allegedly today, they even went to High Court to get an injunction against the Election commission but where refused. Rumours in slough were rife that the election had been cancelled. But their plan has failed, and all their threats to ruin people lives in the Election Commission with lengthy court cases funded by the Gurdwara Golak have for now stopped. Now the Election is scheduled for this Sunday 15th May.

The youth stood mainly to bring back paarchi system, highlight sikh Youth issues, ensure Gurmat is upheld, support the good work of groups like SCAN,Khalsa Aid, and support sikh school project and punjabi school in slough. The youth figured win or lose, lets at least present an alternative to what was going to be the usual one party Councillors group election. At least the Gurdwara will have an agenda to work to. The councillors group wanted their one party election, in which they were guaranteed success, rather than a Paarchi system, which the mainstream sangat would prefer and enter.

At the time the youth knew they would lose, due the majority of Slough sangat, which numbers 10-15,000 not being aware of any election by the deadline for membership of 1st January. It was decided by the Pardan by lieing, against the wishes of the majority AGM, a few weeks later.

Most people thought it would be Paarchi system, so did not bother becoming members. The councillors group/ruling party had a pre-plan so they made their vote banks to guarantee their success. The total membership rose from around usual 500 being just around 1400 from the possible 10,000. But the youth thought lets have faith in Guru Maharaj has present a Gurmat alternative, a strong manifesto, with a realistic future 2 year plan for the Gurdwara.

Such has been the response from the sangat to finally after many years A real and appealing opposition has had the guts to stand up against these councillors, that the youth are now confident of victory in the upcoming elections. The youth party has grown to encompass representatives of the Punjabi School Parent teachers Association, the kabbadi boys, the educationalists, businessmen, other local councillors, aswell as experienced Gurdwara Amritdhari sevadaars, and youth. It is a real coalition of all Groups who want change in slough. The "Unity for Change" has been strong and effective, creating a party called the "Panthik Ekta party".

The agenda put forward has been strong within the manifesto. The Councillors/ruling party have now also had to produce a manifesto Which basically copies the ideas from the youth one, with their usual divide and rule policies to break the sangat. The youth are happy because at least these issues about our future are being discussed. The councillors now state they will bring youth forward, which is ironic considering their party has an average age of around 60, but the youth one averages around 30-35.

Secondly why are they now realised youth need support, when the youth have created their own party? They have dominated the Gurdwara in the last

4 years, have they been asleep? Why have groups like SCAN, Khalsa Aid, Sikh School Trust, and local youth had no support, or even never been allowed to speak on stage or distribute literature within the gurdwara?

If they are now pro-youth, then why are Slough workshops/youth club happening in a Council owned community centre rather than a gurdwara?

Why were the kids at the Nagar keertan who were collecting money in buckets for Sikh School threatened with arrest from Police? WHY ARE CAR WINDOWS OF THE VEHICLES OF SIKH YOUTH BEING SMASHED SUSPICIOUSLY? Last time the youth stood against wrong-doers in the gurdwara, the youth minibus break lines were cut!

Why is there no transparency in the Gurdwara process? Even some Committee members have complained that committee members are not informed of what is going on? Their own four senior committee members even began legal proceedings with them over this issue.

So as we wait for the ruling group/Sher Party and the election commision to sort out their problems, the youth/baaj group are ready and confident. If the membership was open, the youth would easily win. The majority of Slough sangats wants change and wants more youth involved. Over 120 sikhs from amritdhari families alone are not members, but we feel their own councillor families are being swayed by what youth have to offer. In the end it is not about winning or losing, it is about what is best for the Gurdwara. Our Gurdwaras need to have a future. Our Sangat needs to realise they can speak against wrong. Our youth need to realise the Gurdwara is their sanctuary.

Lastly we need to our Gurdwaras leaders to be afraid to doing wrong in the presence of the sangat and the Sahib Siri Guru Granth Sahib ji. Everything that has already happened has happened because One Pardan thought he could in the presence of the Guru Granth sahib ji and the whole sangat, over-rule the sangat in favour of his own desire for elections over Paarchi. Today Guru maharaj himself as directed such a bhana, that the very sangat he presided over has revolted against him.

Even today, the current committee know that all this election nonsense Can stop at any time, by having faith in Guru Maharaj and adopting the Paarchi system. The youth has always said, take all of those who have gone through the nomination process and place them in a bag, let a child pick them out one by one in Guru Maharajs presence, and who ever gets the seva, so be it. It is Guru Jis will. The paarchi system is ideal, no one gets upset, everyone does seva, no gurdwara expense, no dividing the sangat, no dividing families, no groupism, just a simple method in which a new committee is chosen within 15 minutes. We cannot get easier than that.

If only we all had such faith in our Guru, life would be so much easier..

..

Waheguru ji kehalsa, waheguru ji kefateh

P.S. Any youth in slough who are members vote for the Youth, vote for Baaj group (Falcon)

>

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: Jagjit Singh [mailto:jagjitsingh@f...]

> Sent: 06 April 2005 19:17

> To:

> Subject: FW: The Demise Of Sikhism In Slough

The Demise of Sikhism in Slough

(a long article, but important to read,...)

Pyare jio, Slough has always been an important town in the UK Sikhi

scene. It is next to Southall has probably the 3rd largest sangat

attendance in UK. The sangat in Slough has always been peaceful and Panthik. During the years of the late 80`s and early 90`s of the Khalistan Movement, Slough was the one stage where everyone had complete freedom of speech. Many leaders called Singh Sabha Slough, the "Hyde Park Corner" of UK Gurdwaras.

The key to the unity and peace in slough was the Gurdwara never had

any elections in it 10-15,000 sikh community. It used the Parchhi

system. Basically there was a constitution, which had a 25 member Committee, with the Top 11 positions reserved for Amritdharis only. Each position had a criteria of skills, and only those who fit these skills applied. All

the applications were srutinised. Then all the names were collated, and

the names for each position were put into a small black bag in front of

the sangat. Then a child from the sangat was selected, and the child

pulled out one name in front of Guru Maharaj Hazori and the sangat. Whoevers name came out did the seva for the next year. So Simple, and purely Guru Jis will who got seva, so no-one complained. Slough Gurdwara committees were made in 15 minutes, with no sangat fighting or unnecessary election expense.

The Committees always were based with people who loved the Gurdwara

and were active and willing sevdaars. All groups used to be represented from AKJ, Taksal, Congress, Communists, Akali, Kabaddi players, businessman. Yes, there were disputes and arguments occasionally, but these were always confined to the committee room, and never in the sangat. There was alot of unity in Slough, because we all were based at the same Gurdwara.

When problems came along with Pakistani youth, our community were united and dealt with it effectively. There was alot of mutual respect and

pyaar. Slough had UK biggest punjabi school which operated for over 30

years and was averaging 300-400 children a week. The Gurdwara was the most powerful institutional vioce, even in the Council. All MP`s flocked to it to get votes. Singh Sabha ran week-long Sikh camps with 400+ youth

attending. It had the one the strongest sikh youth groups in UK. It had a monthly magazine, and Amrit vela programmes 4am everyday. During the early 90`s, when every Gurdwara in Uk had some fighting, court cases or

election disputes, many writers used Slough as an ideal example of how a

community should run a Gurdwara.

Then around year 2000 everything seemed to change....... A

terrestial TV channel either BBC2 or Channel 4 ran a documentary exposing Slough Punjabi Labour Councillors involved in corruption in the Local Council. All of those named were sacked. The Slough community were quite shocked and saw it as a slur on the community. Looking back this was now the pivitol changing point in Slough Gurdwara history.

These Councillors who "Egos" needed them to remain at the forefront

of the community flooded into the Gurdwara. The Gursikhs who ran the

Gurdwara did not really mind, as their Gurdwara was never seen as anyone`s possesion, just open to the whole community. However upon coming into the committee they set about their plan...

At the same time, Bhai Hari Singh Sewak, a long time Niskam sevadaar

in slough who was Headmaster of the Punjabi school, along with senior

Gursikhs from Singh Sabha, and Ramgarhia Gurdwara, seeing the demise our youth into drugs, gangs and bullying started working on setting up of the Slough Sikh School. This was a big problem for the Councillors who saw their dream project of building a wedding hall for parties in Slough being

threatened by the Sikh School project. Hence they did a secret alliance with some really dodgy khalistanis, Communists, and the Congresses to scrap the Parcchi system and introduce Gurdwara Elections. They knew this would work and give them totally control, because the Amritdharis in Slough, were completely against elections in Slough, and would never stand on principle. Hence Slough saw the farce, of a Gurdwara Election with only one party standing.

Then they went to work bringing the darkest period of the Gurdwara

history. By now the Sikh youth camps, youth magazine, Amrit velas had

stopped. Slough Sikh Youth projects like Khalsa Aid were targetted and so were Slough youth. Most towns would have been proud of Khalsa Aid, but these councillors saw it as a threat to them. Hari Singh Sewak was targetted, and so were the families who supported ediucation and sikhi. This led to "fit ups" and false allegations against Singh and families, which led to court cases. Something which had never happened in Slough before. The councillors lost the case but just used the Gurdwara Golak money to save themselves. This led to more court cases. The Amritdhari librarian was assaulted because he spoke up, the sikh youth mini-bus has its brakelines cut, and Police was now a regular observer of the Sikh community in Slough. Slowly the demise was in full effect..... After the Councillors committee itself split due to too many egos which has led to more court cases, and use of Golak money.

The Slough Sikh School Project was salvaged by Hari Singh Sewak and

new young sevdaars like Nick Kandola, and with Guru Maharajs kirpa it

will be completed soon. But the school needs money, which the Gurdwara is

not prepared to support it. The Gurdwara has almost £700,000 in the

bank, but will not support the school, the gym, the footballers or any youth

project. Instead it is happily buying 3 houses as a property investment for

rent.

Khalsa Aid was promised money, which was not given. The Parent

Teachers Association at Punjabi School raised money for it, but were

threatened when they gave it to Khalsa Aid. The bibian in the Gurdwara raised £25, 000 for the Sikh School Project, but the committee stopped it and put it into their own account. The youth of slough are bullied so much in schools by Pakistani youth, that they were totally demoralised. Neither Gurdwara would support them and provide sanctuary, and eventually Slough Sikh youth have arranged with a the Slough Council a Community Youth Center were the youth between 14-18 now get together, where now 150 are registered.

The Slough Gurdwara stage which was before open to everyone, is now

so censored, that only the Councillors group are allowed to speak. Even

the Sikh School Trust have never been allowed to speak or hand out

leaflets inside the Gurdwara. Instead they have had to sometimes stand in the rain outside informing the sangat about the school, and occasionally

verballing threatened by the committee.

Knowing that the Gursikhs would still not stand in a Gurdwara

Election, at the AGM the Councillors were desperate for another election this

time. The Slough Sik h Youth turned up on the odd chance they would be able to speak, voice their case for the Youth, Sikhi, the school and the Paarchhi system. Such was the impact of the Youth at the AGM, that the majority of the sangat supported their views. In a panic the President closed the AGM lying in front of Guru ji and the whole sangat, saying the sangat is in favour of Elections. The sangat was shocked as now one had even voted, and the majority was clearly in favour of re-introducing the Paarchi system.

So now here we are..... The Gurdwara Elections. The Gursikhs will

not stand because of principle, but the Youth have decided enough is enough... "We want Sikhi back in the Gurdwara, We want our Youth back in the Gurdwara".

The youth will stand for election. We know we are 80% likely to lose because we never made our vote banks like they did. Neither have we involved ourselves in dirty politics by expelling members with no real

reason, who support the youth. But the Youth are standing to present an

alternative to the sangat and a new voice. We have already won by showing the sangat, that only the Youth have the guts to stand up to these people.

The election is just a first step to bring change to Slough through

the Movement called "Unity For Change". This movement will grow and it

already has bringing together all those people in Slough who Love their

Gurdwara and their Community, and will speak the Truth, and work in a Niskam fashion to bring Change....

Today we see a Governing Commitee who are picking their party not by

who supports which Sikh Community issue, but by who is a Councillor, and

a Stage Secretary is chosen because he runs a catering business, and wants a monopoly of all birthday parties and weddings. The members of the

community who support the Youth are told their positions in the Labour party will be threatened and their kids will not become Councillors, unless they support the current committe. Or their planning permissions will not be

passed unless they support the Councillors.

In last few days 9 epople took Amrit. I thought that was good. But

talk in sangat has highlighted that it these Councillors who had taken Amrit

just to make up the positions in their party. One elder stated to me, "Even

Amrit is now a plaything for their power games". I was really shocked, people taking Amrit just for a plastic chair in a committee room which you can buy in Tesco for £10. How much sacrilege of Sikhi can anyone do?

Akali style Badal politics is rife. We all want change in India, but

first we need to bring change in our Towns. We need Panthik Gurdwaras and Strong Sikh Communities. This is why we need the "Unity For Change"

Movement as a long term strategy for change to stop the demise of Sikhism in Slough.

May ALL those Who Love Sikhi Do Ardas For Us Youth To Bring Change!