Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh poses for a photo with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong after the swearing-in ceremony of new office holders at the Istana on July 27 – Photo: Ministry of Communications and Information
By Asia Samachar Team | SINGAPORE |
Singapore’s political landscape took a significant step in its coming of age when it gave an official stamp to the opposition leader.
Pritam Singh, secretary-general of the Worker’s Party (WP) that rocked the recent general elections, becomes the first to assume the Leader of the Opposition (LO) designation.
In the past, Singapore’s legislature had not formally recognised the position and its opposition lawmakers received scant regards.
“As with any new political appointment, the role of the LO will evolve as our political system develops,” according to a joint statement by the Office of the Speaker of Parliament and Office of the Leader of the House.
The position now gives Pritam staff and resources, and a total annual package of $385,000, which is double the allowance of an elected MP.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsieng Loong made the promise soon after winning the 2020 General Election.
In the final tally of the 13th national polls, PAP won 83 seats while the WP took 10 seats, including a surprise victory at the new group representation constituency (GRC) of Sengkang. WP won six seats in the last parliament.
In the statement, it was noted that the LO position was not provided for in either the Constitution or the Standing Orders of Parliament.
“Singapore’s legislatures have never had formal Leaders of the Opposition, not even in the 1950s and early 1960s, when there were substantial numbers of opposition legislative assemblymen.
“Mr Lee Kuan Yew led the People’s Action Party as the largest opposition party in the Legislative Assembly between 1955 and 1959, and Dr Lee Siew Choh led the Barisan Sosialis as the largest opposition party in the Legislative Assembly between 1961 and 1963. Neither Mr Lee nor Dr Lee were formally designated Leader of the Opposition,” it added.
It said that LOD will also received briefings on issues of national interest.
“In addition to the government data or information available to other MPs, the LO will receive confidential briefings by the Government on select matters of national security and external relations, and in the event of a national crisis or emergency,” it said.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
KIRTAN | NEW RELEASE: Singer and composer Arvinder Raina has released ‘Jagath Jalandhaa’, a shabad cmposed by Guru Amar Das. The music was composed by Harsimran Singh Raina who also played the guitar. Backing vocal by Ameeshaajit Kaur and Mansimer Kaur. Click here.
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ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
India’s men hockey captain Manpreet Singh is all set to settle down with his long-time Malaysian sweetheart Illi Najwa Saddique.
After falling in love upon first sight in 2012, the couple have fixed 2 December 2020 for their big day, with a reception in Ludhiana.
Manpreet first met Illi during the Sultan of Johor Cup in 2012. He was the captain of the Indian side while Illi was amongst the spectators. The couple got engaged two years later on 26 February 2014.
Illi, hailing from a Pakistan Muslim family, has been a frequent visitor to Manpreet’s village in Mithapur in Punjab, India, since they began dating.
The 27-year-old Manpreet began his captaincy when he led the Indian side to Asia Cup gold, ending a 10-year old draught for the tournament.
“An Olympic hockey medal next year will be the perfect start to our married life,” the 26-year-old Illi told an Indian-based media portal.
“Hockey will still remain Manpreet’s priority even after our weddng,” she told another portal.
Manpreet and the team are now preparing for the Tokyo Olympics which is now scheduled for July 2021.
This would be Manpreet’s third Olympic debut after London in 2012 in London and Rio in 2016. But India fared poorly in both occasions.
Illi Najwa Saddique’s posting at her Instagram page on 26 July 2020
RELATED STORY:
(Asia Samachar, 23 June 2020)
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
All set to distribute Langgar at the NamRas event in Singapore – Photo: Parvitar Singh
By Parvitar Singh | OPINION |
The concept of langgar, also translated as the concept of free kitchen, was founded by the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji (Baba Nanak) around 1500 where anyone regardless of background can have access to a warm, hearty vegetarian meal.
The humble beginnings of langgar started with Guru Nanak feeding hungry holy men who hadn’t eaten for days as well as providing them with clothes all as a mark of service.
The concept of langgar isn’t just the act of providing free food to those in need, but it elaborates the deeper values of equality, humility, selflessness and mercy. The concept of langgar has since grown with its continuation carried out by the 9 Gurus that followed, as well as beyond where langgar can be found in any Gurdwara around the globe. Open to all, without prejudice or judgement.
Over the years we have seen langgar evolve. From its availability in Gurdwaras to further outreach done by various organisations and institutions to provide food, as well as aid to those who are disadvantaged, disabled, disaster or war stricken. No matter how difficult the terrain or the volatility of the region, Sikhs saw it to be there and render assistance to those in need.
LANGAR BECOMING A SIKH IDENTITY
The wings of langgar have reached so far out, that anyone who spots a Sikh or a Sikh institution can very confidently know that should they be in trouble or difficulty, they can always count on Sikhs to come to their aid.
This is due to the neutrality Sikhs have always showcased which stems from religious values of recognising humanity as one brotherhood. More importantly, walking on the values of Guru Nanak Dev Ji where he describes God as “Nirbhau” and “Nirvair” – translating as without fear and without hate, respectively.
It is imperative that when it comes to service towards humanity, Sikhs remain impartial while rendering aid and do so without discrimination. They should also take note to not entangle themselves in political leanings or agendas, which could risk biasness and alter the unprejudiced image of selfless service or as we call it sewa.
In recent crisis like Covid-19, we have seen and still do see various Sikh organisations and Gurdwaras cooking up meals, providing clothes, resources as well as financial aid to anyone who needs it. These are one of the many examples of Sikhs rising up to the occasion when crisis hits.
Free food distribution at Gurdwara Sahib Myanmar – Photo: Supplied
CONTINUING, SUSTAINING & RELEVANCE
With langgar being a formidable ground for Sikhs to reach out to the masses within their local settings as well as globally, community effort is important to allow both the continuing and sustaining of langgar efforts as well as aid in other forms.
Community support is crucial to ensure that there is constant financial and volunteer support, as well as the grooming of the next generation of innovative, trustworthy and compassionate individuals and leaders to broaden the outreach to diversify the sort of aid the community can render.
The Sikh community should also remain rooted to the primary mode of service – langgar. As this has given the community its branding over the last 600 years and keeps us grounded to always remember to stick to fundamentals of service towards humanity.
Alongside, it will be good for us to continue to look into other aspects of sewa needed on a communal, societal, national and even a global level as there are many talented individuals from diverse backgrounds who can provide their expertise. This will keep the Sikh community relevant and up to date in its efforts, as well as empower a whole new pool of individuals to step up and do their part in serving.
IN CONCLUSION
The Sikh community, by and large, has come a very long way in always rising to the occasion whenever needed. However, it will be good for various organisations to collaborate so as to deconflict and prevent overlapping of efforts so as not to overstretch resources. It will also be good for them to work together to increase efficiency and efficacy in community efforts.
Sikhi is, and will always remain, a relevant faith. Our scriptures and teachings amplify how we can live in a constantly evolving world and yet remain rooted, relevant and of service to people. Let us always stick to basics, take guidance from our scriptures and continue to serve humanity with true faith and kindness.
Parvitar Singh is a Singapore-based youth leader who’s passion lies in understanding people, polices and worldview to do his part in making this world a better place.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
Nirman Singh: Facemask to fit the turban and beard
By Asia Samachar Team | SINGAPORE |
A Singapore Sikh couple has produced reusable face masks for Sikhs with turban and beard. And they are ready to customise the face mask to cater for the type of the nose bridge as well as the beard.
As the novel coronavirus pandemic began digging in, Nirman Singh realised conventional masks were not designed for turbaned Sikhs.
“It was very uncomfortable. Since our ears are covered, putting the mask on and off was also difficult and cumbersome. Also, often, the beard gets pushed into my mouth,” he told Asia Samachar.
Nirman and his wife Surinder Kaur then began working on a solution. And they believe they have come up with the perfect solution as people globally are still battling the Covid-19 pandemic.
“To put-on and remove the mask easily, we incorporated a velcro strap and we also have filtered masks for those who want extra precautions,” he said.
The face masks are made of washable cotton and polyester for the inside lining.
Tp purchase them, call +65-811 26224 (Sizes: Sizes: S ~6″, M ~7″, L ~8″).
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
Singapore PM Lee Kuan Yew with Sikh community on 14 Jan 1967 – Photo: Singapore National Archives
By Asia Samachar Team | SINGAPORE |
When Singapore Sikhs celebrated the 300th birthday of Guru Gobind Singh in 1967, the Sikh community handed the second Guru Nanak ambulance to serve the needy.
At a function to celebrate the major celebration, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew received keys to the ambulance donated by the community.
The ambulance, costing about $15,000, is to be used at the Thomson Road General Hospital. The first is being used at the General Hospital, reported The Straits Times (16 Jan 1967).
“To me, the Sikh community is one of the stirring sagas of human history. It is a small but vigorous community,” he was quoted as saying at the event at the Conference Hall on 15 Jan 1967. “We should not throw away virtues and doctrines which hold groups together.”
Among those present to welcome him at the event were textile magnate Sardul Singh Narula (in white turban) of Indersons Co.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
Does entrepreneurship and technology excite you? Young Sikh/Punjabi students with a keen interest in the two areas are invited to join a new online workshop series that kick start next Saturday (1 Aug).
The virtual workshop will gather an exciting range of Sikh professionals from around Southeast Asia to share their journeys and professional advice. And its for free!
“We want to expose our students to entrepreneurship and technology. We will want to set up a mentorship network,” said organiser Bobby Bhatia who founded TrakInvest, a Singapore-based social investing platform for equities.
The workshop series is being organised under the umbrella Misl and supported by online media portal Asia Samachar.
“We have the resources to help those who need help. But they need to raise their hands if they seek help,” he added. Bhatia previously had stints with AIG Financial Products and JP Morgan
One of the key speakers is Aswin Phlaphongphanic, the CEO/founder of international money transfer firm DeeMoney, a subsidiary of Thailand-based Sawasdeeshop Co Ltd. The other speakers are Tript B (healthcare incubator), Amrit Kaur (testing ground) and Jasdeep Singh Hundal (UC Berkeley)
Join the maiden Misl Entrepreneurship Workshop Series on 1 August from (4pm – 6pm, Singapore/ Malaysia time). Sign up for free at .
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
New deans at Universiti Malaya( (L-R) Dr Surinderpal Kaur, Dr. Jatswan Singh and Dr. Kiran Kaur
By Asia Samachar Team | MALAYSIA |
Malaysia’s top university promoted three Sikhs, including one as a dean, that will see them joining the institution’s Senate.
Universiti Malaya (UM) appointed Dr Surinderpal Kaur A Chanan Singh as the Faculty of Languages & Linguistics dean, making her probably the second Sikh to hold a deanship at the Kuala Lumpur-based university.
At the same time, UM also appointed Dr Jatswan Singh Harnam Singh as the executive director of the Asia-Europe Institute (AEI) and Dr Kiran Kaur Gurmit Singh as the director of the Quality Management & Enhancement Centre (QMEC).
All three, who are associate professors, will hold their position until 2022.
“They must be very good in their respective areas to land these positions at the nation’s oldest university. They have definitely earned their positions because of their expertise,” Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) emeritus professor Dr Chatar Singh told Asia Samachar.
Dr Chatar, who was the backbone of USM’s School of Physics and Mathematics which he helped establish in 1969, began his academic life when he joined UM University as a lecturer in Physics in 1968.
“It’s was a pleasant surprise to see the elevation of three Sikhs at a go. It speaks well of their years of dedication and work at the university,” said another senior academic.
Dr Surinderpal, who has been the faculty’s deputy dean since January 2018, is an expert in areas like humanities, linguistics and literature as well as democracy and governance (political discourse, electoral dynamics, protests, dissent, demonstrations, terrorism and insurgency).
She co-authored Gender and the Changing Face of Higher Education in Asia Pacific which was released last year.
Dr Surinderpal, a PhD holder from UK’s Lancaster University, has also been active on the Sikh community front. In 2016, she took an active part when Kultar’s Mime, a theatre play from US, came Malaysia.
She also spearheaded two plays – ‘Marjana to Mittar: Bhai Mardana’s Story’ in 2017 and ‘Tribute to the Tenth’ in 2018.
The first Sikh dean at UM was Prof Dr Satwant Singh Dhaliwal who holds the distinction of being the nation’s youngest professor when appointed in 1968. He had set up UM’s Faculty of Science and served as its dean.
Dr Jatswan, who holds a PhD from Leeds University, is an expert in areas like conflict resolution, foreign policy and comparative politics for contemporary Southeast Asia. He is the author of Historical Dictionary of Brunei Darussalam and is an expert on Myanmar.
On her part, Dr Kiran Kaur is from the Department of Library & Information Science, Faculty of Computer Science & Information Technology.
The holder of a PhD from UM, she began as a public school teacher where she taught for eight years, and then as a UM librarian for four years. She then joined the faculty as an academic staff in mid-2003.
Dr Kiran’s research interests include information services, service quality, quality management, academic librarianship, social networking, community information services, social capital and scientometrics.
QMEC is responsible for accreditation and quality assurance of all levels of academic programmes in UM.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
Members of the dwindling minority communities, gutted by recent deadly violence, welcomed an emergency exit but expressed worry that what would await them in India is poverty. – NYT
The Indian government said it will expedite visas and the possibility of long-term residency for Afghanistan’s tiny Hindu and Sikh minorities, shrunken by decades of persecution and decimated by attacks in recent years amid the Afghan war, reports the New York Times.
“India has decided to facilitate the return of Afghan Hindu and Sikh community members facing security threats in Afghanistan to India,” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Saturday (18 July 2020).
The statement, on the rescue of an Afghan Sikh leader who was abducted in eastern Afghanistan last month, did not provide further details.
An Indian official in Kabul said the decision meant that any of the roughly 600 Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan, an overwhelmingly Muslim country, would be given priority visas and the opportunity to apply for long-term residency once they arrived in India, the report added.
On March 25, the small community of Sikhs and Hindus saw yet another assault upon them, the latest being a terror attack on a Sikh gurdwara in central Kabul that killed 25 men, women and children.
The senseless attack upon Gurdwara Guru Har Rai in Shor Bazaar was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back as far as their dreams of continuing to live in Afghanistan. The gunmen stormed the gurdwara, shot discriminately and held 80 hostages.
After the first attack on 25 March, the next day, an explosive went off just outside the crematorium as the Sikhs were cremating their dead. And the next day, yet another attack.
In interviews, NYT reported that many welcomed the emergency option, but said it posed an agonizing dilemma. In Afghanistan, they have livelihoods — shops and businesses passed down through generations — but spend their days dreading the next attack. Making a new start in India would most likely mean living in poverty, they said, particularly during an economic slump exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Lala Sher Singh, 63, who lives near a Sikh temple in Kabul that was attacked in March, said the community had shrunk so much that his thoughts were occupied “day and night” by a fear that the next assault might not leave enough people who can perform the final rituals for the dead.
“I may get killed here because of these threats to Hindus and Sikhs, but in India I will die from poverty,” he said. “I have spent my whole life in Afghanistan. In this neighborhood close to the temple, if I run out of money and stand in front of a shop and ask for two eggs and some bread, they will give it to me for free. But who will help me in India?”
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
The novel coronavirus pandemic has thrown up a name of a young Sikh entrepreneur, and it has happened almost by chance.
Meet Harpreet Singh Rai. The co-founder and CEO of Finnish healthtech start-up Oura Health Ltd has been around town trying to fix your sleep, and miles away from Covid-19.
But a new opportunity leapt up recently for the health technology company which was founded in 2013 and markets a ring-like product that tracks sleep.
The company is involved in sleep performance platform, focused on improving sleep that leads to a better life. Its Oura Ring and app gives users daily feedback to improve their health, allowing users to better understand their body and reach their goals.
The Covid-19 track began with feedback from one of its users.
“One user of ours in Finland was traveling in early March. His scores were normally in the 80s or 90s and he noticed his readiness score dropped to 50 and that caused him to get tested. He was positive for coronavirus,” Harpreet told a CNBC programme.
The Oura ring costs upwards of $300 and measures and logs data ranging from sleep and body temperature to heart rate and respiratory function. Researchers said the device has been successful in recognizing Covid-19 symptoms up to three days in advance with 90% accuracy, the reported said.
While still in early stages of research, the Covid-19 connection has opened up a whole new market for Oura.
Oura is now finding ways to use that data to help detect Covid-19 cases among frontline workers and general users. The NBA basketball league, for example, has ordered more than 1,000 of the rings, which cost upwards of $300 each
The company is headquartered in Oulu, Finland, with offices in Helsinki, London, and San Francisco.
You can listen to an interview with Harpreet here.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
