Jan-March 2006 - Institute of Sikh Studies

NEWS & VIEWS115here for the Constitution of the proposed International SikhConfederation, an apex body of the Sikhs, many other delegates fromIndia and foreign countries offered their comments.The opening session started with the comments of Giani JarnailSingh Arshi from Australia, who compared the state of Sikh affairs atthe present time with the period of Sikh history just after Banda SinghBahadur’s downfall. He suggested that the constitution of ISC shouldbe based on principle of ‘Collective leadership’ a present version ofold institutions of ‘Panj Piaras’, ‘Sarbat Khalsa’ and ‘Gurmatta’. SardarAvtar Singh Sidhu (Canada), laid stress on quality of management andintegrity of office bearers, because the earlier two World SikhOrganisations had failed. He endorsed the forming of the ISC and itsproposed constitution.Sardar Gursharan Singh from Malaysia endorsed the constitutionof ISC, although he favoured a brief constitution with only basic essentials.Amendments and additions could be made later on as and when the needarises. He said that the ISC should adopt the latest means of informationtechnology for the quick insemination of its programmes.Brig (retd.) Hardit Singh regarded the drafted constitution as thebest possible one. He also suggested dividing the whole globe into 22Sikh zones and taking two delegates from each zone into the governingbody, besides a few enlightened individuals. Immediate formation ofan ad hoc committee of 50 persons was also suggested by him.Sardar Angrej Singh, a leading spokesman of the ChandigarhUnion Territory villages, endorsed the formation of the ISC and suggestedthat there should be no election atleast for five years, so that the firstgoverning body could make this ISC fully functional and operative.Sardar Charan Kanwal Singh, Chief Secretary, Guru Gobind SinghStudy Circle, Ludhiana brought a mandate from Principal Ram Singh,the chief of this Organisation, endorsing the formation of ISC. Hecautioned the organisers that the ISC should not appear to be abrainchild of the IOSS only. It should be projected as a collectivevoice of the whole international community of the Sikh diaspora. Healso cautioned that the Sikh organisations to be given representationin the ISC should be selected on the basis of their performance for theSikh cause in any field, rather than their nomenclature. He did notfavour the election system for the constitution of the ISC.