PENYERTAAN PERANAKAN PUNJABI DALAM PROGRAM PEMBANGUNAN KOMUNITI: KAJIAN ETNOGRAFI DI KOTA KINABALU, SABAH

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Sarjit S. Gill

Abstract

This ethnographic study was carried out to survey the participation of the peranakan community in the Sikh programme in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Data was collected through fieldwork done from February to July 2004 in Gurdwara Sahib, Kota Kinabalu (GSKK) using the observation method and in-depth interview. Five informants from the Punjabi peranakan who served as contacts from GSKK were interviewed. The peranakan community’s deep involvement in the Punjabi religious activities in GSKK is motivated by a variety of factors including importance of kinship, psycho-social and religious programmes. The research findings show that the Punjabi peranakan community faces various challenges in its fight for religious and social education as proposed by the Jawatankuasa Pengurusan Gurdwara (JPG), which manages and runs GSKK. The half-heartedness of the JPG members in carrying out its task and responsibility, as well as giving efforts in playing a proactive role in fostering Sikh community development, specifically the peranakan Punjabi, proves to give impact to Sikh identity construction. This matter indirectly gives the idea that the peranakan Punjabi has a different perception in religion and Sikh identity compared to the Sikhs in Peninsula Malaysia. This article argues that the Punjabi peranakan community’s participation in the community development program should be strengthened by being committed and consistent of all JPG members who are responsible in carrying out its role and task in administering and managing the religious and social programmes of GSKK.

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