Sikh commercial networking platform formed
Malaysia Chapter to help create visibility, build credibility and link businesses of locally owned ventures
KUALA LUMPUR: The local Sikh community can now utilise the World Sikh Chamber of Commerce (WSCC) Malaysia Chapter as a platform for commercially driven networking opportunities, and also a meeting point to share and offer service-related assistance.
WSCC Malaysia, which was launched in June, has about 700 members and is expecting to double that by the end of the year.
Its chairman, Datuk Dr Balwant Singh Bains (pic), said he initiated the chapter of the India-based WSCC with the idea of providing an avenue among the Sikh diaspora in Malaysia to develop business-related connections and upskilling.
“In the past, we had similar networks but they were regional. The digitalisation process during Covid-19, that connected us through video calls and online meetings, stimulated the commencement of the Malaysia Chapter,” Balwant told theSun recently.
“This platform is envisioned to showcase the progress within the Sikh community, mediate networking opportunities between business groups, create visibility and exposure, and build credibility for Sikh-owned ventures.”
Balwant said for Sikhs who are diversifying their entrepreneurial ventures, a platform like WSCC is vital to interlink their businesses and create a healthy supply-and-demand ecosystem within the community.
“The Sikh community is hardworking and resilient. We are quite self-driven in the sense that our forefathers did odd jobs to sustain in a new land, and yet they never extended their hands for help.”
He added that the Sikhs are known for being a close-knit community where gurdwaras (Sikh temples) are the community’s focal point in forging unity and togetherness.
“Langar or community kitchen in a gurdwara is a place where everyone is treated as equals – beyond ethnicities, religions and social status. Hence, unification is nurtured through communal dining and sharing of meals.”
Balwant said unity in the Sikh community is cultivated through selfless service. WSCC encourages its members to connect and interact with one another by employing the spirit of ik-mik, which means “meeting one to one”, in the Punjabi language.
“Service is a fundamental value in Sikhism as it builds bridges among the diverse and heterogeneous Malaysian society,” Balwant added.
According to its website, WSCC is a “premier multistakeholder community of visionary Sikhs” committed to shaping the community’s future and society at large. Established in 2020, the organisation is the first and single largest entity of prominent Sikh businessmen, industrialists, entrepreneurs and professionals in India and abroad.