Singapore PM lauds contribution of Sikh community
Monday, 30/11/2015
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SINGAPORE: Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has lauded the contributions of the Sikh community to academia, business, civil service, judiciary and politics in the island city-state off southern Malaysia.
“The Singapore government has and will continue to support the Sikh community in many ways,” he said on Saturday at the Sikh community dinner. The Singapore government has already recognised Punjabi as a second language in public schools and supported the formation of the Singapore Sikh Foundation through its education ministry to facilitate the teaching of Punjabi.
It has initiated the formation of Central Sikh Gurdwara Board to look after the community’s needs, and granted the Sikh Welfare Council the Institution of Public Character status to support fundraising. “I am glad to see the demand for these activities growing. I know you have some space constraints. In line with our consistent support for the community, we will look positively at the Sikh community’s growing needs to see how we can be helpful,” Lee said, adding that Sikhs arrived in Singapore in 1881 to form the backbone of the police contingent.
He highlighted the Sikh tradition of serving food and roviding shelter at the gurdwaras, asking the community to continue to live out the values of self-service and optimism
embodied in their faith. “Sikhs have also promoted religious harmony and multiculturalism by participating in the inter-racial and religious confidence circles as well as the Inter-Religious Organisation,” Lee said.
Out of the seven gurdwaras in Singapore, one at Silat Road on the fringe of the central business district serves free vegetarian food, averaging 1,000 meals on weekdays and 2,000 on weekends.
Lee launched a milestone book published by the Young Sikh Association in conjunction with SG50, the celebration of 50 years of Singapore’s independence.
In conjunction with the launch, the Singapore Sikh Education Foundation, which administrates Punjabi as a second language in Singapore, also celebrated its 25th anniversary by honouring teachers and staff who have been with the organisation since its inception.
The Singaporean government has allowed Indian students to opt for their own mother tongue (Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi and Punjabi) as second language.
