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Hilary Wong

Hotel security manager Jimmy Singh Baljinder was on shift last year when he noticed some young guests acting suspiciously, arriving and leaving daily in a car.
After observing the group for days, he inspected the trash from their room, discovering tools that appeared to be used for packing drugs.
“I followed the drug dealers day and night and barely slept. When I called police, they found drugs worth about HK$300,000 (US$38,240),” he recalls, speaking in Cantonese.
Singh had even prepared a room for police operations next to that of the suspects. His efforts won him a Good Citizen Award, one of two for the aspiring police officer, who was denied entry into the force because of his inability to write in Chinese.
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Singh’s family were Sikhs from Punjab, one of the martial races in the British army in colonial times. He is a fifth-generation Indian resident in Hong Kong.
“We are warriors in blood,” the 44-year-old says, recalling he was told at a police recruitment booth: “Don’t even consider if you can’t write in Chinese.”
This and other setbacks spurred the father of two to set up an NGO to promote racial diversity. He also harbours ambitions to enter politics.
In his 20s, Singh joined the Correctional Services Department as an assistant officer, assigned to look after ethnic minorities.
“Back then no cultural training was provided. Most local officers could hardly tell the difference between various religions, let alone understand their needs,” he says.
He recalls he once helped Muslim inmates find a place for prayers during the fasting month of Ramadan and assisted a Pakistani prisoner to call home when the man’s mother had died.
“There should be a bridge to connect different ethnic groups in all places and I try to be that bridge,” he says.
There should be a bridge to connect different ethnic groups in all places and I try to be that bridge
Jimmy Singh Baljinder
He left the department after 10 years of service, language once again being a barrier to promotion. But when one door closed, another opened, and that was when he found his current job as a hotel security manager.
Four years ago, Singh also set up the Racial Integration Education and Welfare Association, an NGO that promotes inclusion in the city on policy levels as well as in everyday life.
“Inclusion is about everyday interaction,” he says. The group organises sports classes for primary school pupils, allowing ethnic minority members to interact with others. Other activities include a girls-only swimming class for non-Chinese people.

“Muslim girls seldom learn how to swim because they cannot show their bodies. We provide a private venue and female coaches and they can wear swimsuits that cover the whole body.”
Singh urges the government to review its civil servant appointment policy. In 2010, authorities eased the Chinese language requirement for some posts and the Fire Services Department introduced bilingual recruitment tests in 2015.
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But according to him, more can be done.
“In Britain and the US, Sikh police officers can keep their hair and beard uncut. In a metropolis such as Hong Kong, can we also allow such flexibility?”
Seeing ethnic minorities as under-represented in the public sector, Singh is mulling a career in the political arena, starting with being a community organiser in Wan Chai under moderate political group and think tank Path of Democracy.

Among nearly 1,500 staff members serving on 100 publicly available advisory bodies in Hong Kong, only 1.9 per cent are from ethnic minority groups, according to NGO Zubin Foundation.
“If we have representatives in the district or legislative councils, it would make a difference,” Singh says.
Elder sister Mirza Sufia, who also works in an NGO, recalls her brother’s aspiration to serve all ethnic groups. “He has a big heart. I converted to Muslim because of my husband, and because of this, I did not get along well with my family, who are Sikhs.
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“It was Jimmy who helped me reconnect with our mother. He is Sikh, but is passionate about serving the whole community, and we are going to deliver toys in two mosques,” she says.
Looking back on his time in school Singh recalls an education system that was not inclusive. He could not enter into mainstream primary or secondary schools despite repeated attempts.

“They all rejected me for the same reason – I can’t read or write Chinese. I have been eager to learn Chinese since young, not only because I want to understand local comics borrowed from friends, but also because I know Chinese is crucial for living and working here.”
Singh’s appreciation for the local language can be seen at the Sikh temple in Wan Chai. When an Indian woman enters the premises, he greets her in Hindi, then switches to Cantonese.
“If I did not chat with her in Cantonese, you will never know she speaks it. Sometimes all it takes is a small step to bridge segregation.”


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City Weekend

Rejected from Hong Kong Police Force, Sikh amateur detective Jimmy Singh Baljinder aspires to bridge ethnic groups for inclusiveness

Jimmy Singh Baljinder twice helped police cracked cases, and held dreams of joining the force. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Jimmy Baljinder (right), a Hong Kong born ethic Indian Community Organiser, photographed in Wan Chai. 21APR19 SCMP / Jonathan Wong

Image of ethnic minorities living around Sham Shui Po. 18AUG18 SCMP / Edward Wong

Jimmy Baljinder (left, white shirt), a Hong Kong born ethic Indian Community Organiser, photographed in Wan Chai. 21APR19 SCMP / Jonathan Wong

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Hong Kong

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Singh, a recipient of the Good Citizen Award, is a fifth-generation Indian resident in the city
He heads an organisation that promotes racial diversity


Jimmy Singh Baljinder, a fifth-generation Indian resident in Hong Kong, heads an organisation that promotes racial diversity.


Ethnic minorities in Hong Kong

Rejected from Hong Kong Police Force, Sikh amateur detective Jimmy Singh Baljinder aspires to bridge ethnic groups for inclusiveness

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Singh, a recipient of the Good Citizen Award, is a fifth-generation Indian resident in the city He heads an organisation that promotes racial diversity

Singh, a recipient of the Good Citizen Award, is a fifth-generation Indian resident in the city

He heads an organisation that promotes racial diversity