Something is brewing at Singapore Khalsa Association (SKA). Some quarters are apparently not entirely happy with the way things are going on at the 87 year old outfit that began as a sports club in 1931.
Come Sunday (22 July 2018), Mohinder Singh and his team will face a challenge for SKA’s leadership when members meet to elect a new set of committee for the next two years.
Senior civil servant Mohinder came on board as SKA president unopposed in 2016 to replace former army officer Lt. Col (Retd.) Charanjit Singh who had served the maximum of three two-year terms allowed under its constitution.
Mohinder, who retired as a senior policy-maker at the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and now an advisor to the LTA Academy, has offered to continue as president and has released the team lineup.
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Leading the charge against him is Hernaikh Singh, a founder president of Young Sikh Association Singapore (YSA) and a senior associate director at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
He has shared via the social media the lineup of his team.
“It is time for change. It is time to transform SKA based on the principles of accountability, inclusiveness and reliability,” Hernaikh wrote in a note on his personal Facebook page.
“We want SKA to be a vibrant, lively and member-focussed club. It has a lot to offer and the members deserve more. It has certainly failed to live up to expectations and it is time to change that.”
The SKA website has also displayed the names of those vying for the various positions at this Sunday’s AGM in a note from its general secretary Sukhbir Singh.
On his personal Facebook page, Mohinder’s had shared a SKA video on the opening of the new building, stating: “Our achievements could not have been summed up better!”
The completion of the renovation works to its iconic Tessensohn Road clubhouse was indeed a massive undertaking. On 30 Dec 2017, Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam inaugurated the spanking new headquarters that underwent a $12 million makeover.
When he took over the leadership reigns two years ago, Mohinder said the team would build upon the work done by the previous management committees to ensure that the SKA continues to remain relevant to the evolving needs of the Sikh community, including the role of the SKA building.
“We will aim to make it the social, cultural and sporting hub for the Sikh community. It should be an inviting venue for families, and a place for young and old,” he then tells Asia Samachar.
Sunday will tell if members feel Mohinder and his team are on the right track or they want to opt for winds of change.
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[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Asia. How to reach us: Facebook message or WhatsApp +6017-335-1399. Our email: editor@asiasamachar.com. For obituary announcements, click here]