Sir,

Right now I have in front of me “The History of the World” by Gerald Hopkins. It contains the following lines about the history of Greeks:

“These same Greeks on whom heaven had showered her rarest gifts, had these very serious defects—competition was the law of their being, and indiscipline their method. Mutual slaughter ‘was commoner than mutual understanding. Even when peril threatened from outside they were incapable of calling a truce to their ruling passions or of uniting in self-defense. With them private interest was always of more importance than the general good. Greece perished because her cities could not federate.” God forbid that after some time some historians may think similar things about Sikhs—such as that “although Sikhs were the bravest soldiers on earth, and they were graced as the Army of Akal Purakh the by their guru, they perished because they could not unite.”

I appeal to all the Sikh leaders to look back and listen to their own. speeches which they made on July 28th, 1984 when WSO was formed, They should listen to their own solemn pledges and foretelling words when they said that “if they could not unite now and provide befitting reply to the Indian government for the sacrilege of Golden Temple and killing of thou of innocent Sikh men, women and children, the coming generations will never forgive them.”

Let them ask their own conscience, what answers they are prhistorians, besides blaming others oviding for the coming generations and the future for disunity and lack of action. As for small fries like me we have already made many attempts at unity by arranging unity conferences and urging the leaders personally and through newspapers like WSN. But, I think this unity is almost impossible unless the leaders themselves have a change of heart, forget their personal grudges against one another and every leader takes the first bold step and takes the initiative to call other leaders and offers his full cooperation to the latter. Once most of the leaders have worked out their personal differences, adequate steps can be taken to bring any dissidents within the mainstream or exclude those persons from any financial and moral support. I personally am ready to do whatever service I am assigned in this regard.

Daljit Singh Jawa

 

Article extracted from this publication >> November 30, 1990