With elections on the anvil in Panjaab and India, leadership issues are bound to be in the air. Political activist and analyst Jagdeesh Singh from the UK, has for long been shouting from rooftops about failing Sikh leadership. WSN presents his views on dynamics of the contemporary Sikh leadership scene.

Quality and ethical leadership is missing across the globe. Nations, countries, communities in Venezuela, Brazil, South Africa, England (UK), USA and more are frustrated and angry with their leaders.  Prime Ministers, Chief Ministers, heads of political parties are invariably uninspiring and questionable personalities.  Panjaab too is in the grip of the same.

Whereas, the land of the inspiring Gurus and martyrs –shaheeds, has a rich and invigorating history of radical and courageous leaders: grass-root based figures that rose forth for society and people, without reward, and with massive punishment and persecution. Those great unequalled characters who define Panjaabi history, received no positions of official power. Struggle and sacrifice was their power. Today, under the engulfing and contaminating corrupt Indian political mega-structure, we see the exact reverse. Today in Panjaab, like most of the global world, we are stuck with a sham array of personalities, political groups, religious groups, etc; posing and projecting themselves as ‘leaders’.

The heroic Panjaabi spirit exemplified by the Gurus and martyrs -shaheeds, is not evident in the current breed of front-line personalities in Panjaab politics.

The current Indian General elections of April-May 2019, have once again revealed the same competition for ‘seats’ and, simultaneously, the conspicuous failure amongst the supposed ‘Panthic’ circles to unite as a common alliance for a common purpose of Panjaab and the Panth. This brings to fore the fundamental and pressing question of how pro-Panth, pro-Panjaab, pro-people actually are these same figures who profess to be pro Panjaab and pro Panth? A close examination of the last three decades reveals a heart-breaking depressing picture.

Upon observing their antics and fanfare, one seriously asks, ‘Is it their agenda simply to make boisterous noises, create an illusion of fighting for the Panth and Panjaab, but then again and again fail to make any meaningful impact on the governance system of Panjaab?’ Like elsewhere across the Indian state, Panjaab is subject to a crass crude form of electioneering and rampant leadership contests.

Double-standards, crookedness, illiteracy, lack of skills and competence, and a total ignorance and apathy to world affairs: these are the rotten characteristics of Sikh Presidents and Jathedaars everywhere. The individual group egos and personal egos, combined with an overriding lack of vision and honesty has left them clamouring in their individual ditches for attention and fame. Their loud sloganeering and rabid speeches have produced nothing tangible or progressive for Panjaab – its people, its dalits, its women, its children.

There is no culture and atmosphere of democratic dialogue, accountability and transparency. Instead, nepotism, maladministration, financial fraud, suspicion, recrimination and disorder are dominant. They are the defining qualities of the Indian political environment. The heroic Panjaabi spirit exemplified by the Gurus and martyrs –shaheeds, is not evident in the current breed of front-line personalities in Panjaab politics.

1984 was a key marker in current Panjaabi affairs. It revealed the difference between authentic, robust leader-like personalities who took a principled and courageous stand for Panjaab and the Panth, giving their lives to bring further shine and vibrancy to the ongoing Panjaabi history; and those who cowered into submission and surrendered to the Indian state and proceeded to make dubious deals with it and so forth.

The monumental sacrifices of June 1984 with Sikhs laying down their lives pro-actively, in the face of imminent death, for the symbolic sovereignty and independence of the foremost shrine and symbol of Panjaab against the aggressive intrusion and trespass of the Indian army and its human and cultural genocidal actions needs emulation.  Leadership is about action, courage, principle and sacrifice – all combined.

Moral victory is defiance against injustice and oppression. Not in winning elections under a dubious and corrupt system of mis-governance and misrule. India is a self-propagating mess brought about and sustained by its sequence of corrupt and devious heads of government. The diverse peoples, who suffer this enduring system of 70-years, have little protection against this mighty system of corruption and repression. In Punjab, like India, we have a putrefying assortment of politicians and religious holy men, who between them project an image of corruption, lies, broken promises, stagnation, power and control and submission and conformity to the Indian state power.   Like the world at large, Panjaab suffers the disease of these bogus leaders, with their scheming and mental disinterest, seeking fame and glamour in the media.

The infamous mainstream parties in Panjaab –the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Congress have simply treated Panjaab as an election playground; winning and losing elections between them as they have collectively abused and sabotaged everything about Panjaab.

Today, Panjaab and its humanity present an enduring victim of the deceit, chaos and confusion of these bands of false leaders, in various names and labels, each vying for political office and power. The current and continuing array of politicians only seek parliamentary positions, votes and majorities without the responsibility that comes with it.  They lack personal conviction and character and their souls are hollow and contaminated. They are a decrepit bunch, with no intellectual substance or intelligence, nor any emotional commitment to the good of Panjaab.

It is a damning fact, that over 35-years since the milestone 1984 genocide, the various posing ‘Panthic’ groups, despite their many numbers and loud noises and ability to hold large scale gatherings, have entirely failed to forge a united front or even a common minimum plan.  In all these years, we have failed to witness a core set of inspiring, principled, dynamic set of leaders, inside Panjaab or elsewhere.

Double-standards, crookedness, illiteracy, lack of skills and competence, and a total ignorance and apathy to world affairs: these are the rotten characteristics of Sikh Presidents and Jathedaars everywhere. The individual group egos and personal egos, combined with an overriding lack of vision and honesty has left them clamouring in their individual ditches for attention and fame. Their loud sloganeering and rabid speeches have produced nothing tangible or progressive for Panjaab – its people, its dalits, its women, its children.

The infamous mainstream parties in Panjaab –the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Congress have simply treated Panjaab as an election playground; winning and losing elections between them as they have collectively abused and sabotaged everything about Panjaab.

The alternative groups like the Dal Khalsa, Akhand Keertani Jatha, Dam Dami Taksal, Akali Dal Amritsar, Sikh Students Federation and more, despite their vocalised best intentions, have equally between them demonstrably failed to take any tangible steps towards making positive in-roads into the Panjaab political map. They too have entirely failed to have an open, democratic dialogue with the Panjaabi-Sikh masses, about their actual or lack of strategies, actions, objectives, achievements, non-achievements and failures. Instead it has all been a one way, overwhelming traffic of telling the people and not asking the people. Panjaabis do not deserve this!

For the last 75 years, we have seen no democratic progress in our Gurdwara committees, organisations and institutions. It is always, a chaotic array of mobs, dominant groups, thugs, scheming their way along.

Together these bodies and groups have created a sustained obstruction to democratic transparency. There is an acute lack of scrutiny, even handed dialogue and a clear presence of arrogance and a pretentious claim to them having a monopoly on representing the Panth. They have created a continuing disconnect between these organisations and the wider masses. They have not been able to do anything for the democratisation of the highly corrupt ‘Parliament of the Sikhs’ –the SGPC.

Our Takht ‘Jathedaars’ are nothing more than intellectually hollow, ignorant and a self-serving coterie of individuals, vying against each other.  Every other day, we see a scandal on the horizon. There is a total absence of ethics, honesty, principle in our mainstream leadership – in Gurdwaras, in organisations, in political groups. For the last 75 years, we have seen no democratic progress in our Gurdwara committees, organisations and institutions. It is always, a chaotic array of mobs, dominant groups, thugs, scheming their way along.

Leadership is not one single person. It is a shared, collective thinking turned into positive action.  Leadership is not about position. It is about engagement, listening and democratic dialogue. It is about passion to take things forward in the face of state oppression and opposition. It is the earnest desire to make things better and have the guts and resourcefulness to aspire and dare for new things.

Inside Panjaab and abroad, the Sikh leadership personalities have between them created a circus and theatrics of rhetoric and self-imagery, with no accompanying progressive vision or action for change. No people or nation can progress with such rotten and perverse leadership.

The Gurus and our martyrs –shaheeds are our model leaders. They demonstrated those critical qualities on the frontline of life and struggle, through personal struggle and sacrifice. They inspired us through their example. We need no more clarity and lessons about authentic leadership, than them.

Leadership is a shared responsibility across a people and society.  Leadership is not one single person. It is a shared, collective thinking turned into positive action.  Leadership is not about position. It is about engagement, listening and democratic dialogue. It is about passion to take things forward in the face of state oppression and opposition. It is the earnest desire to make things better and have the guts and resourcefulness to aspire and dare for new things.

It is time to demonstrate that sparrows can become hawks and, that jackals can become lions. The Panth and Panjaab deserve a new and better leadership.