GERAKSIKH Executive Council paid a courtesy call to SPB YDP Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin on 25th November, 2009 at 3.00pm at Istana Negara, KL

Pic shows: Delegation from GERAKSIKH in the Audience Room with SPB YDP Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin



From L-R: Manjit Singh, Tan Sri Dato' Seri Darshan Singh (President), Seri Paduka Baginda Yang Dipertuan Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, Dato' Amarjit Singh Gill (Secretary General), Jit Singh (Treasurer)

GERAKSIKH serah buku Sikh Community in Malaysia kepada SPB YDP Agong

KUALA LUMPUR, 25 Nov, 2009 (Bernama) -- Pergerakan Kebangsaan Sikh Malaysia (Geraksikh) pada Rabu menyerahkan 'coffee table book' bertajuk 'Sikh Community in Malaysia' kepada Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin.

Buku setebal 266 muka surat yang ditulis dalam bahasa Inggeris itu disampaikan kepada Seri Paduka Baginda oleh Presiden Geraksikh Tan Sri Darshan Singh Gill di Istana Negara, di sini, pada Rabu.

Kandungan buku tersebut termasuk paparan mengenai latar belakang dan sejarah awal kedatangan kaum Sikh ke negara ini termasuk gaya hidup, kebudayaan, tradisi, perayaan dan pendidikan mereka.

Buku berharga RM89.90 itu telah dlancarkan oleh Sultan Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah, pada 28 Jun lepas dan kini boleh didapati di semua cawangan kedai buku MPH di seluruh negara.

Sebagai tanda hati daripada Geraksikh, buku itu juga akan diedarkan kepada semua kedutaan asing di negara ini dan kedutaan Malaysia di seluruh dunia.

-- BERNAMA

All round support for race-less forms proposal

National Sikhs Movement (Geraksikh) president Tan Sri Darshan Singh Gill said the move would put an end to the community’s problem in having to choose between putting themselves as Indian or “others” in official forms, saying it promoted the 1Malaysia concept.
___________________________________________________________

PETALING JAYA: The proposal to drop the requirement to state one’s race in official forms has received wholehearted support.

United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) secretary-general and former MP Datuk Wilfred Tangau said that currently, the ethnic communities in Sabah and Sarawak felt they were just an “afterthought”.

“I’m happy this whole ‘lain-lain’ (others) category for race is done away with,” he said.

Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjum said such a move was long overdue, adding that the “lain-lain” category should not have been in official forms in the first place.

MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said the party had been championing this for a long time and that it was time for the Government to do away with it.

“We support such a move because it is dear to our heart,” he said, adding that this was in line with the 1Malaysia concept.

In Malacca, the Portuguese Settlement’s Regedor panel’s vice-president Michael Benerji said the 1,200-member community had long felt alienated whenever filling in official forms because they had to place themselves under the “others” column.

“Previously, our youths were not given an identification code in entry forms when applying to local universities. We had to write to the universities to point this out and they finally agreed to give us the numeral 0000 as our code,” said Benerji, whose sentiments were also echoed by the Portuguese-Eurasian Association president Michael Singho.

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said the move would make everybody feel “more Malaysian”. Associated Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Datuk K.K. Eswaran said the proposal should be welcomed by all Malaysians and that it would help in enhancing cooperation between the various races.

In Johor, Pulai MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the column for religion must also be removed from official forms.

“It will ensure there is no bias when people deal with government staff as in the past, I received complaints that Malay civil servants tended to put documents from non-Malays last,” he said.

National Sikhs Movement (Geraksikh) president Tan Sri Darshan Singh Gill said the move would put an end to the community’s problem in having to choose between putting themselves as Indian or “others” in official forms, saying it promoted the 1Malaysia concept.

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin also said it was a step towards realising 1Malaysia and would “put away whatever racial barriers there may be”.

However, Deputy Education Minister Dr Fuad Zarkashi said race and religion columns should be maintained in official forms for identification purposes, adding that nobody should have a problem with stating his or her own race - Star 19/8/2009

Charting the deeds of Sikh Malaysians

Theirs is a story of blood, sweat and tears; a tale of a tight-knit tightly-knit community that has worked hard to enrich the fabric of Malaysian society in a myriad ways. Tan Sri Darshan Singh Gill’s book, Sikh Community of Malaysia, opens the doors to a hardy people who never say die, writes BALAN MOSES

JAEVINA Kaur may not know it but she is the scion of a Sikh family that can trace its Malaysian roots back six generations to the time of the Federated Malay States (FMS).

The bouncy 2-year-old has her great-great-great grandfather, Boor Singh Gill, to thank for planting her family in a land thousands of miles away from their native village of Kambo Daiwala in Punjab.

It has been a hard, and sometimes torturous journey through life for the family of the young man who travelled by ship across the Indian Ocean to reach the land of milk and honey that he had heard of.

Boor Singh, who had left his wife behind in Punjab, in realising that he had to carve a life for himself in his adopted home, started a cattle farm in Menglembu, Perak, with a few cows.

Malaysians may very well appreciate as I do that the turn of the 19th century was a far cry from today with travel between countries taking weeks and fraught with danger from marauders and the vagaries of the weather.

But this did not put off Boor, who knew he had found what he had been looking for and wanted to share it with his family.

He brought his son, Ujagar Singh, over in 1911, who in turn called for his teenage son, Gurdial Singh to join him. Both became granthi (priests) after a brief stint in the cattle and bullock cart business.

Today, Tan Sri Darshan Singh (fourth generation), Datuk Amarjit Singh (fifth generation) and Jaevina Kaur are the standard bearers of the proud Sikh tradition that Boor Singh brought to the FMS.

Their story is not unlike that of thousands of Sikh families from Punjab who came to the FMS, and later Malaya, to find their "pot of gold" in various professions.

They came and stayed, infusing a richness to the culture of the nation which they grew to call home.

None among us can deny the accomplishments of the tiny community (Sikhs number fewer than 100,000 of the 27 million people who call themselves Malaysians) of Singh's (lions) and Kaur's (princess) over the past century or so.

Who among us does not know a Singh or a Kaur who has excelled in his or her chosen field of endeavour?

On the same token, I am sure we also know of Sikhs who have gone from success to success on a staple diet of hard work and commitment despite starting from the most humble of backgrounds.

And this is what lawyer, community organiser and raconteur Darshan Singh set out to document a little more than two years ago when he filled the vacuum in terms of the documented history of Malaysian Sikhs and their story of triumph over hardship.

Last month, his magnus opus, Sikh Community in Malaysia was launched as a tribute to the blood (many of the early Sikhs who came over from India were soldiers and policemen), sweat (some were watchmen who worked night and day) and tears (of the pioneering Sikhs) in Malaysia.

The 266-page hardcover book (tagged at RM89.90) is a veritable cornucopia of information about Sikhs from the Malaysia-Thai border to Johor Baru.

Divided into 10 chapters, the "golden treasury" delves into the varied history of the Sikhs from their origins, belief, identity and the Gurdwara (temple) to their culture, traditions, festivals and celebrations.

Along the way, he researched Sikh organisations, their role in public education and sports besides highlighting public recognition given to Sikhs in Malaysia through awards and honours.

Finally, and perhaps most pointedly, he has given readers thumbnail sketches of the leading lights of the community stretching back three to four decades, a daunting task given the many Sikhs who have made it to prominence.

The book holds nuggets that Malaysians should know like the five "K's" -- kesh (unshorn hair), kangha (wooden comb), kara (iron bracelet), kirpan (sword), and kachera (breeches).

There is also the interesting meaning to the word "gurdwara" (temple), which essentially means Gur (of the Guru or teacher) and dwara (doorway).

Did you know that it takes 48 hours for the Sikh holy book, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (Akhand path), to be recited in full at temples and that the relay is uninterrupted?

Sikh names are also unisex, a rare practice around the world.

Darshan's team included Amarjit, social anthropologist Dr Sarjit Singh Gill, lecturer Dr Harjit Singh Randhawa and numismatist/author Saran Singh Sidhu -- a group driven by the urge to put Sikh history on paper for posterity.

Darshan, the president of the Malaysian National Sikhs Movement (Geraksikh) and project and editorial chairman of the support group's project, and his team spent almost every weekend over the past two years to produce this exceptionally good read.

The biggest hurdle they faced was gathering photographs. But judging from the pictorial spread featured across the pages, they did not do a bad job.

Editorially, the book could have provided a little more documentary evidence of the history of the community, perhaps by talking to leading individuals who could have told their stories to good effect.

But that is perhaps waiting to be told in the next edition that Darshan and his friends put their hands to.

Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak had nothing but praise for the book in his foreword, in which he hoped that it would act "as a source of reference not only by the Sikh community for generations to come but by a wider Malaysian audience as well a the world at large".

"On the whole, they (Sikhs) form an integral part of our colourful social fabric," the ruler added, in elaborating on Sikh contributions to the various disciplines, especially medicine and law.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, in his message, described the Sikhs as a community passionately driven and standing united, which has enabled them to stand tall.

His statement that Sikh Community in Malaysia deserves a rightful place in the halls of learning by itself gives the book academic credentials that it rightly deserves.

This is further augmented by Emeritus professor of Malaysian history, Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim, who remarked in his message that the book displayed an erudite knowledge for generations to come.

The book, supported by the Information, Communications and Culture ministry, is being distributed by MPH Distributors Sdn Bhd. - NST 19/7/2009

Exclusive Pictures during Launch of Book 'Sikh Community in Malaysia'

Exclusive Pictures during the Launch of Book 'Sikh Community in Malaysia' on 28th June, 2009 at Crowne Plaza Mutiara, Kuala Lumpur

Coverage on the Launch of Book 'Sikh Community in Malaysia'

As of 29/6/2009, the Launch of the Coffee Table Book, Sikh Community in Malaysia received coverage from the following links below:

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/6/29/nation/4215418&sec=nation

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/National/2594624/Article/index_html

http://in.news.yahoo.com/139/20090629/874/twl-sultan-of-perak-applauds-malay-sikh.html

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=421325

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=421329

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Malaysia--s-Sultan-applauds-Sikhs-for-their-contribution/482734

http://m.themalaysianinsider.com/articles_headlines.php?id=malaysia/30771-understanding-and-communication-key-to-harmonious-nation-says-perak-sultan

http://210.19.40.5/ssig/news/fullnews.php?news_id=63381&news_cat=ts

http://www.sinarharian.com.my/com/content/story2906742.asp

http://www.bharian.com.my/Monday/Nasional/20090628225658/Article/index_html

http://www.nst.com.my/Monday/National/2594624/Article/pppull_index_html

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2009&dt=0629&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Dalam_Negeri&pg=dn_12.htm

http://www.sinchew.com.my/node/120242?tid=1

http://www.guangming.com.my/node/50828?tid=3

http://www.chinapress.com.my/content_new.asp?dt=2009-06-29&sec=mas&art=0629mc53.txt

Tan Sri Darshan Singh to Dato' Seri Utama Dr. Rais Yatim : Broadcast Sikh Cultural and Arts Programmes in RTM

KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 – Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) will give more avenue for the broadcast of cultural and arts programmes of the country's ethnic minorities, Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said today.

The request from GERAKSIKH President, Tan Sri Darshan Singh Gill was echoed to the Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim.

He said the culture and arts of the minority groups such as the Sikhs, Portuguese, Orang Asli, the Babas and Nyonyas and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak should be brought to the fore, not merely through news and documentaries.

“We will also seek out the other minority groups and see how they can all get their rightful place under the Malaysian sun.

“We have to give them the chance, and convince them that the government is sincere in wanting to work with them,” he told reporters after the launch of a coffee table book entitled “"The Sikh Community in Malaysia” by the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah, here.

The 266-page book was written by Malaysia National Sikhs Movement (GerakSikh) president Tan Sri Darshan Singh Gill. – Bernama

Sultan Azlan Shah launches Coffee Table Book 'Sikh Community in Malaysia' by Tan Sri Dato' Seri Darshan Singh Gill

KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 – The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah, said today understanding and effective communication among the diverse ethnic groups of Malaysian society were key to the continuous peace and harmony of the country.

He said understanding and effective communication allowed people of different cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds to interact with one another.

“I am of the firm belief that our nation’s rich diversity is something to be proud of and something to be safeguarded,” he said when launching a coffee table book entitled “The Sikh Community in Malaysia”, here.

The 266-page book was written by Malaysia National Sikhs Movement (GerakSikh) president Tan Sri Darshan Singh Gill.

Also present at the launch were the Raja Permaisuri of Perak, Tuanku Bainun; the Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, and his consort the Raja Puan Besar of Perak, Tuanku Zara Salim; Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim and Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir.

Touching on the Sikh community, Sultan Azlan Shah said that despite being a minority in Malaysia – 0.3 per cent of the overall Malaysian population – the Sikhs have been able to retain their distinct cultural identity which has set them apart from the Tamil and other Indian communities.

“The Sikh community has maintained its distinctiveness most conspicuously. Their steadfastness in their religious beliefs and cultural practices and their strong sense of community have undeniably afforded the Sikh community their resilience and distinction,” he said.

The sultan said the Sikhs, who came to then Malaya and served as policemen for the British Straits Settlements and as night watchmen for industries, had garnered a reputation for their gallantry in the security forces and their competence in maintaining law and order.

“Perak was an early settlement which notably acted as the launchpad towards various security deployments in other parts of the country.

“Today, the community’s role and influence extends to all other fields, with prominence in professions such as medicine and law.

“On the whole, they form an invaluable and integral part of our colourful social fabric, and deserve due recognition for their contribution, as much as any other citizen, to Malaysia’s economic, cultural and political life,” he said.

Touching on the book, Sultan Azlan Shah said it was valuable since it not only allowed the present Malaysian Sikh community to know its ancestry, cultural heritage and origins but also promoted an understanding and appreciation amongst the wider Malaysian audience of their Sikh comrades.

“It is an instrument of dialogue between cultures. I have also always believed that historical records are very important so that the substance of the past is never lost or diluted and, in this respect, this publication is additionally praiseworthy,” he said.

The book, published by MPH, sells for RM89.90 a copy. – Bernama

Populariti muzik Urban Bhangra - GOLDKARTZ

Mampukah Manjit, seorang peguam dan adiknya, Sukhjit graduan jurusan undang-undang merealisasikan impian bergelar penyanyi Urban Bhangra Malaysia yang berjaya?


SEJAK berumur empat tahun, Manjit Singh Gill dan adiknya, Sukhjit telah dihantar ke sekolah muzik Yamaha untuk bermain piano.

Bapa mereka, Tan Sri Darshan Singh Gill selaku Presiden Pergerakan Kebangsaan Sikh Malaysia (GERAKSIKH) dan ibu, Puan Sri Suveender Kaur juga telah memupuk tabiat berzikir lagu-lagu keagamaan di Gurdwara atau tempat menunaikan ibadat masyarakat Sikh.

Manjit, 24, atau lebih mesra dengan panggilan M-ji, mahir bermain alat muzik harmonium manakala Sukhjit, 20, menyerlah dalam memukul tabla, dhol dan dholak. Mereka sering memukau para hadirin dengan persembahan duo yang hebat pada hari-hari kebesaran.

Sehinggakan kedua-dua adik-beradik ini diiktiraf sebagai juara pertandingan nyanyian Kirtan peringkat kebangsaan sebanyak tiga kali berturut-turut sejak tahun 1993.

Pada Oktober tahun lalu, Goldkartz menerbitkan cakera padat Shahab Kirtan bagi memperingati sambutan ulang tahun kitab Guru Granth Sahib yang ke-300. Sebanyak 10,000 unit cakera padat diedarkan secara percuma di Malaysia, London dan Hong Kong.

Dibesarkan dalam lingkungan keluarga yang rata-ratanya peguam, minat yang sama juga bercambah dalam diri M-ji dan Sukhjit atau lebih mesra dengan panggilan Surj.

"Bapa, abang; Amarjit Singh Gill dan kakak; Ranjit Kaur Gill adalah peguam, jadi minat tersebut turut mengalir dalam darah kami," kata M-ji yang juga bekas graduan jurusan Undang-Undang Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIAM).

Impian jejaka dari Ipoh, Perak itu untuk bergelar peguam tercapai apabila beliau diterima sebagai peguam bela dan peguam cara Mahkamah Tinggi Ipoh, Perak pada awal bulan ini.



M-JI (kiri) dan Surj mengalunkan sebuah muzik Urban Bhangra yang rancak.



Lebih menggembirakan apabila lagu Tu Khendi She nyanyian beliau dan adiknya, Sukhjit Singh Gill, 20, dicalonkan dalam kategori Lagu India Tempatan Terbaik Anugerah Industri Muzik 2009 (AIM 2009).

Penyenaraian ini membawa makna yang cukup besar kepada kedua-duanya dalam penerbitan album sulung mereka berjudul Loaded daripada Goldkartz.

Sukhjit, yang kini menuntut pada tahun pertama di Universiti Malaya (UM) dalam jurusan perundangan, berasa bangga kerana ia adalah yang pertama seumpamanya. Tiada lagu Bollywood atau Hindi yang terpilih sebelum ini dalam kategori tersebut.

Dengan status AIM yang setaraf dengan Anugerah Grammy di Amerika Syarikat (AS), mereka tidak khuatir bahawa peluang keemasan ini membuka laluan menaikkan nama Goldkartz di bawah label EMI dan Warner Music. Penerbit eksekutifnya ialah Goldkartz Productions dan Freddie Fernandez.

Kedua-dua adik-beradik ini tidak mampu menahan kegirangan apabila genre muzik yang diusahakan sejak tiga tahun lalu, diterima baik oleh masyarakat pelbagai kaum.

Goldkartz Loaded yang dilancarkan pada 19 Januari 2008, menghimpunkan trek lagu-lagu Urban Bhangra yang meliputi house music, hip hop, R&B, drum & bass, reggae, techno dan urban. Sebelum ini, genre muzik seumpamanya tidak pernah dikeluarkan walaupun dipopularkan di India dan UK.

Persoalannya, sejauh manakah komitmen M-ji dan Surj dalam mengangkatkan muzik Urban Bhangra dengan kesibukan kerjaya dan pelajaran masing-masing? Mampukah bidang perundangan dan muzik memperoleh keserasian?

"Sejak kecil kami meminati muzik termasuk Urban Bhangra yang rata-ratanya dipengaruhi oleh saudara kandung, Datuk Amarjit Singh Gill dan Ranjit Kaur Gill sejak mereka di alam remaja. Ia tidak datang bergolek dalam masa yang singkat," ujar M-ji dan Surj serentak.

Malah, sejarah juga telah membuktikan bahawa arwah Sudirman Arshad berjaya meletakkan dirinya sebagai seorang peguam dan penyanyi yang mempunyai rekod kejayaan luar biasa.


Penghijrahan M-ji ke Kuala Lumpur bagi melanjutkan pelajarannya di UIAM tidak mengganggu hobinya. Sambil mencari masa senggang, kedua-dua adik-beradik ini giat 'berkawan' dan berlatih dengan 'orang lama' mengenai selok-belok industri muzik.

Pada hujung minggu, Surj lazimnya akan berulang-alik dari Ipoh ke KL. Akibat kepenatan, kadangkala Surj terlepas untuk menghadiri sesi persekolahan pada hari Isnin.

Kenapa memiilih nama kumpulan Goldkartz? "Emas adalah komoditi yang dihargai ramai dan potongan karat yang kemas mengertikan kualiti berlian yang tinggi nilainya."

Lagu pertama yang dihasilkan bertajuk Veer Da Viyah dianggap sebagai satu permulaan yang agak baik. "Meskipun tidak diterbitkan…," lawak M-ji. "Ia adalah hadiah istimewa daripada kami kepada Amarjit di ambang perkahwinannya," katanya yang menjelaskan kemahiran menggabung, kejuruteraan rentak muzik dan penggunaan instrumen yang lebih canggih, menggilap persembahan muzik Urban Bhangra.

Sehubungan itu, mereka mengimport pemain berpengalaman alat muzik Tumbi dan Algozey dari India. Selain itu, mereka juga memastikan hanya alunan muzik tradisional yang sebenar direkodkan dalam rakaman melalui spesifikasi teknologi yang tinggi. Dengan penguasaan raag atau mod melodi muzik klasik India, M-ji dan Surj menjalankan segala tugasan rakaman, penyusunan, penulisan lirik, penggabungan dan pembikinan album di Malaysia.

"Kalau dihasilkan di India, ia lebih murah tetapi kami mahu menunjukkan kebolehan artis Malaysia. Biarpun 65 peratus daripada album ini menampilkan lagu-lagu dalam bahasa Punjabi tetapi hampir kesemua trek lagu mempunyai lirik bahasa Inggeris dan dua trek khas disampaikan dalam bahawa Melayu dan Tamil," ujarnya yang memaparkan konteks penyatuan Malaysia yang unik.

Sambil mengaku industri Urban Bhangra di United Kingdom (UK) cukup gah dan tiada tolok bandingannya, hampir dua kali seminggu artis-artis Bhangra di negara itu akan mengadakan persembahan.

Begitupun, Urban Bhangra daripada Goldkartz berbeza terutamanya dari segi slanga. Sehubungan itu, duo ini kini meninjau pasaran di AS dan mula berbincang dengan pihak tertentu sebelum ke India serta lain-lain negara.

"Berita gembiranya ialah kami sudah pun membuat rakaman video muzik bagi tiga buah lagu dan ia akan menemui anda tidak lama lagi," kata M-ji.

Goldkartz turut menyimpan hasrat untuk membuat persembahan di UK bersama artis negara itu. Antara idola mereka ialah Kuldeep Manak, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Jazzy B dan Malkit Singh.

Di arena tempatan pula, Goldkartz tidak kurang hebat. Daripada sambutan Tahun Baru 2009, Rumah Terbuka Krismas 2008, Rumah Terbuka Deepavali 2008, Sambutan Merdeka hinggalah kepada Karnival Zee, Singapura, M-ji dan Surj berkongsi pentas persembahan dengan orang kenamaan termasuk Yang Dipertuan Agong dan artis-artis tersohor seperti Shah Rukh Khan.

"Sebagai seorang bapa, saya tetap memberi sokongan kerana mereka telah menjalankan tanggungjawab sebagai seorang anak yang berpelajaran."

"Dari semasa ke semasa, saya akan menyaksikan persembahan mereka dan memberi pandangan walaupun tidak arif dalam bidang ini.

"Yang penting, jika muzik adalah keghairahan mereka, saya merestui mereka supaya mencuba dan memperbaiki segala kekurangan. Sentiasa tekun melakukan sesuatu," kata Darshan, 61, yang percaya Urban Bhangra pasti diterima oleh generasi seusianya.

Secara praktikal, dalam sebuah komuniti yang moden dan pesat membangun seperti Malaysia, masyarakat Sikh telah berjaya memartabatkan diri dan status ekonomi. Ini secara tidak langsung akan menyumbang kepada penerimaan unsur muzik yang moden atau fusion.

Kepada M-ji dan Surj pula, mereka yakin walaupun komuniti Sikh adalah kecil, ia tidak menggugat tahap sasaran pendengar. Ini kerana genre muzik Urban Bhangra turut diminati oleh masyarakat India dan Melayu.


KOSMO, 29/4/2009 By SUBASHINI RAJANDRA

Sikh Community Contribution is significant, says Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Sikh community's contribution to the history and development of the country is very important and significant, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Najib said that although the Sikh community was relatively small, in the region of 100,000 people, they had served the country well.

He said they had served as members of the security forces such as in the police and armed forces, in professional fields as doctors and lawyers, and also entrepreneurs and ordinary citizens.

"So I wish to thank the Sikh community for all that they have done (for the country). You have indeed contributed much to the development of Malaysia and I hope you will be with us in future as we develop Malaysia," he said at the Sikh community's Vaisakhi (New Year) celebrations at the Guru Nanak Darbar Tatt Khalsa Diwan Selangor at Jalan Raja Alang here today.

Thanking the Sikh community for the warm welcome, he said he was happy to be able to share the joyous occasion with them. "I have decided to visit you today because I want to show and indicate very clearly that this government stands for all communities...all races and all religions. I want to underscore that I am the leader and I am the Prime Minister for all communities. My presence here is also to recognise the contribution of the Sikh community in the development of Malaysia," he said to applause from the 2,000-odd crowd.

Najib said he introduced the "One Malaysia" concept as he believed that if all Malaysians stood and worked together and be one family and one team, "we can indeed make Malaysia a stronger and more prosperous nation, based on the principles of trust and mutual respect among all communities in Malaysia".

"That is the essence of what One Malaysia is all about," he said.

Najib said Malaysians must break down the barriers between them and must not look at each other on the prism of skin or colour.

"We must help one another. Whether a person comes from whatever community...if the person deserves help, then that person should and must be helped by all of us.

"If we have this attitude, Malaysia will be a much stronger and united nation as we move forward, facing the challenges of the 21st century," he said.

Najib said he only informed the hosts yesterday evening about his visit because he did not want all the pomp.

"Because I don't want all the pomp...I don't want bunga manggar. I just want to be one of you in a natural way to see you taking part in your daily activities, so that I can better understand your aspirations and the hopes of the Sikh community and of course all the other communities in Malaysia.

"That is the approach I have intended for this government and for this Cabinet and I hope you will be together with us in the journey of making Malaysia a more prosperous and successful nation," he said.

Najib said he enjoyed the breakfast of Sikh traditional food such as prata, pakoda and barfi (sweets) which he had with Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon and the Federal Territories Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin and the local community.

Meanwhile, the acting president of the Tatt Khalsa, Rejinder Singh, said the Sikh community was honoured to have the prime minister at their Vaisakhi celebrations.

He said Najib told them to see him or Dr Koh directly if the community have any problems or matters which needed the attention of the government.

"We appreciate this because although we are only a small minority the prime minister has shown concern for us," he said.

Najib is the third prime minister to visit the Tatt Khalsa, after Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-haj and Tun Hussein Onn.

-- BERNAMA Website (14/4/2009)

Up close with GOLDKARTZ - Ambassador of Malaysian Urban Bhangra

The Staronline.tv interviewed GOLDKARTZ's M-Ji and Surj on 12 April, 2009 who spoke about their Album Loaded - How it all started, their plans, Malaysian Book of Record and their recent Nomination for AIM 2009 Awards

'Raunak Vaisakhi Di' TV Programme by GERAKSIKH and Astro

GERAKSIKH AND ASTRO WILL BRING TO YOU VAISAKHI MUSICAL PROGRAMME 'RAUNAK VAISAKHI DI' ON ASTRO VAANAVIL CHANNEL 201 AS FOLLOWS:

DATE: 14/4/2009 (TUESDAY)
TIME: 1930 HRS (7.30 PM)

PLEASE PASS THIS INFORMATION TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO SEE THIS PROGRAMME BROUGHT TO YOU BY GERAKSIKH AND ASTRO.

HAPPY VIEWING AND A VERY HAPPY VAISAKHI 2009

Happy New Year 2009

GERAKSIKH wishes all Malaysians A Very Happy New Year 2009