Surrey Gurdwara goes to court over leadership
We’ve talked a little bit about the Sikh Youth Slate that ran for gurdwara elections — and won — in Surrey, as well as how mainstream Canadian media was framing the event. In that election, youth won the vote with a platform promising a focus on Sikhi, community-based service, and support for youth diversion activities (ie., building community space at the gurdwara so that adolescents didn’t get sucked into another world of criminal complexity).
What I didn’t know, at the time, was that shortly after the election, the outgoing gurdwara president filed a lawsuit challenging the process/legitimacy of the nominations for election (but not the election itself). A press release circulated today regarding the legal developments in the case, and as a non-Canadian, it is more than a little disorienting.
Instead of continuing to litigate a decision, the youth slate has agreed to holding elections once again. I am really confused about what’s going on, and I think it would be helpful if any of our Canada-based readers could weigh in. It seems like this power struggle underlies some of the historic tensions and fights for power that have happened at Surrey, but some of it also seems like a way of ensuring that “new” officer teams are prevented from achieving their goals by holding them up in court. Is this an unfair assessment?
Any clarity would be greatly appreciated.
15 Responses to “Surrey Gurdwara goes to court over leadership”
It turned out that youth group had done alot of forging of signatures on nominations in the election last November.
http://www.voiceonline.com/voice/090131/headline1…
It turned out that youth group had done alot of forging of signatures on nominations in the election last November.
http://www.voiceonline.com/voice/090131/headline1.php
that is precisely the case. The old exec basically was using the gurus golak to fund their court case against the youth over a trivial issue of the nomination forms if afew of the youth, not the election itself. However where a technicality leads to a court battle, the court can bankrupt the youth. The youth didn't see a point in spending half a million dollars of the sngats money in a court case. The election cost will be less than half that. I think they would have better Ganges in court than in the election because the demons have a lot of support (the two opposing slates united). My 2 cents cdn.
that is precisely the case. The old exec basically was using the gurus golak to fund their court case against the youth over a trivial issue of the nomination forms if afew of the youth, not the election itself. However where a technicality leads to a court battle, the court can bankrupt the youth. The youth didn’t see a point in spending half a million dollars of the sngats money in a court case. The election cost will be less than half that. I think they would have better Ganges in court than in the election because the demons have a lot of support (the two opposing slates united). My 2 cents cdn.
http://www.newfuture.ca
http://www.newfuture.ca
It is every individual Sikhs duty to support the Sikh Youth campaign – mind, body and soul – young and old. Have no doubt in your mind this is a struggle for control of our Sikh institutions between the rightful claim of BC Sikhs and the agents of the Indian Government. The Indian Government's motive is to simply keep Sikhi out of our Gurdwara's. They already have control of all our institutions in Punjab & India. The Sikh people in particular and Punjabis in general have become illiterate and addicted to drugs and alcohol because the free flow of educating and uplifting Sikhi was stopped. They also want to see Sikhs in BC illiterate and addicted to drugs and alcohol – a sure way to destroy us from the inside out. Just ask the First Nations of Canada. If you don't think one Gurdwara matters think again. The BC media looks to Guru Nank Sikh Temple as the official voice of BC Sikhs. A whole generation of Sikhs has already been lost and the next generation of families who attend this Gurdwara are heading the same direction. They thrive on the conflict and court cases because they want to dissolution/turn off youth from Sikhi and their rightful claim of our institutions. Banta and his thugs vandalized the signs of the Sikh Youth Campaign and also gave free alcohol out to garner votes — reminiscent of Punjab elections. So many youth here in BC will have a million reasons not to support the Sikh Youth Campaign and they will rather just sit and talk about the Shaheeds of 84 and the lives they lived .. or talk about Sant Ji. Sant Ji was not about talk and that is why he spear headed the Dharam Yudh Morcha. Lets not be about talk .. lets live up to the outward bana we keep. Banta and Samra are motivated by their pay cheques — is our Guru's kushi and the liberation of our Guru's home not enough motivation for us? Shame on all of us who will use the name and fame of our great Shaheeds as their own public relations status but sit idly by and make excuses not join this Dharam Yudh as it passes us by.
It is every individual Sikhs duty to support the Sikh Youth campaign – mind, body and soul – young and old. Have no doubt in your mind this is a struggle for control of our Sikh institutions between the rightful claim of BC Sikhs and the agents of the Indian Government. The Indian Government’s motive is to simply keep Sikhi out of our Gurdwara’s. They already have control of all our institutions in Punjab & India. The Sikh people in particular and Punjabis in general have become illiterate and addicted to drugs and alcohol because the free flow of educating and uplifting Sikhi was stopped. They also want to see Sikhs in BC illiterate and addicted to drugs and alcohol – a sure way to destroy us from the inside out. Just ask the First Nations of Canada. If you don’t think one Gurdwara matters think again. The BC media looks to Guru Nank Sikh Temple as the official voice of BC Sikhs. A whole generation of Sikhs has already been lost and the next generation of families who attend this Gurdwara are heading the same direction. They thrive on the conflict and court cases because they want to dissolution/turn off youth from Sikhi and their rightful claim of our institutions. Banta and his thugs vandalized the signs of the Sikh Youth Campaign and also gave free alcohol out to garner votes — reminiscent of Punjab elections. So many youth here in BC will have a million reasons not to support the Sikh Youth Campaign and they will rather just sit and talk about the Shaheeds of 84 and the lives they lived .. or talk about Sant Ji. Sant Ji was not about talk and that is why he spear headed the Dharam Yudh Morcha. Lets not be about talk .. lets live up to the outward bana we keep. Banta and Samra are motivated by their pay cheques — is our Guru’s kushi and the liberation of our Guru’s home not enough motivation for us? Shame on all of us who will use the name and fame of our great Shaheeds as their own public relations status but sit idly by and make excuses not join this Dharam Yudh as it passes us by.
the truth is, it would have been very expensive for the youth slate to fight the case in court…funds which they just don't have at their disposal.
Even the election costs (the won election), and the court costs upto this point are weighing down the Youth Slate. Mind you, Youth has support, but only few are actually giving financial support.
It's really sad to see how this promising youth group is being pulled down by so called "moderate" leaders , who themselves usually present themselves as the best thing for the new generation.
The moderate salte has golak money, and they are more than willing to use it.
the truth is, it would have been very expensive for the youth slate to fight the case in court…funds which they just don’t have at their disposal.
Even the election costs (the won election), and the court costs upto this point are weighing down the Youth Slate. Mind you, Youth has support, but only few are actually giving financial support.
It’s really sad to see how this promising youth group is being pulled down by so called “moderate” leaders , who themselves usually present themselves as the best thing for the new generation.
The moderate salte has golak money, and they are more than willing to use it.
[…] Many of the elements that make up this article have been featured in the Langar Hall in the past – Ranj Dhaliwal’s book Daaku about the lifestyle of Punjabi gangsters, thugs, and drug-dealers in BC during the late 1990s and early 2000s that cost the lives of 100+ youth in our community, Mani Amar’s film “A Warrior’s Religion” that documents the real life stories and effects of the peak of the violence, and finally to the various twists and turns that is British Columbia’s Sikh politics – from new coalitions to disputed certifications. […]
SHABAD OR SHARAAB?!? which influence do YOU trust??
SHABAD OR SHARAAB?!? which influence do YOU trust??
[…] topics, the news surrounding the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey is especially noteworthy. We have covered the topic in the past a few times and the results seem to be in (again). The Youth Slate wins […]