By Asia Samachar | Malaysia |
Former New Straits Times journalist Jaspal Singh and a Sikh activist died yesterday. He was 52.
He was admitted to the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh, Perak, on Monday after complaining of chest pain and breathing difficulties.
Jaspal, who could read and write fluently in his tongue Panjabi as well as in English and Malay, was also one of the volunteers at Asia Samachar. Among others, he had written some of its editorials.
He held a first class honours in Malay Literature from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
Jaspal worked with Kuala Lumpur-based Business Times as a sub-editor in 1997. He then joined Malaysia’s national English newspaper NST in 2002. In 2015, he became the Perak bureau chief for the Malay Mail before leaving journalism in 2016.
In 2020, Jaspal had his leg amputated following diabetes.
On the Sikh community front, Jaspal was a trustee of United Perak Sikh Organisations (UPSO Foundation) and an advisor to the Sikh Single Mothers Association Ipoh, known as SikhMai.
“I think he deserves mention as a fine journalist that had carved the first ever budgeted allocation for the Sikh community of Perak,” Ipoh-based businessman and fellow Sikh activist Dheer Singh told Asia Samachar.
Dheer, who is also a trustee of UPSO Foundation along with Dr Sarjeet Singh Sidhu, said Jaspal was part of the team that requested the Perak state government to allocate a yearly budget directly to the Sikhs. This led to the Perak state government under Menteri Besar Dr Zambry and state executive councillor Dr Mah Hang Soon carving out Sikhs a RM500,000 allocation. See here.
He said Jaspal was also involved when a team made presentations to then Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to assist the community’s self-effort to teaching of the Panjabi language.
Jaspal was married to Daljeed Kaur, 46, and the couple have nine-year-old twins Gurjeevan Singh and Gursamrath Kaur.
His remains will be cremated today (3 March, Friday) at the Sikh Crematorium of Wadda Gurdwara Sahib Ipoh at 2pm. The cortege will leave from his residence at No. 30, Jalan Suria 1, Taman Suria (Sunland Residence) in Ipoh.
RELATED STORY:
Perak allocates RM500,000 for Sikhs in state budget (Asia Samachar, 8 Dec 2014)
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