With all the flurry and fury surrounding the politicization of the Vaisakhi celebrations in Surrey and Vancouver, certain things needed to be cleared up, Abbotsford’s MLA, Mike de Jong said at a press conference in Surrey last Wednesday.

"It’s unfortunate that the celebration was tainted by ultimately political considerations and statements," de Jong said referring to controversial Sikh separatist images.

Last year, several youths in the Surrey Vaisakhi celebration wore shirts with the International Sikh Youth Federation emblazoned on the back, as Canadian politicians sat idly by. This sparked criticism that the government was allowing public support for terrorism. As a result, this year politicians treaded lightly, cautious of where they went and what they said.

De Jong said he feels it regrettable that the message of Vaisakhi has been lost to contentious political issues and a game of finger pointing. The media has been keeping tabs on which politicians showed up, who spoke and who have boycotted the parades.

De Jong felt it necessary to explain that he only attended one parade this year because he "doesn’t always go to all of the parades."

But he added that he does not to associate with agencies that appear to purport a view that condones violence.

"I am opposed to the use or glorification of violence as a means by which we affect change in a democracy and in my capacity that it would have been inappropriate to stand with individuals who take a fundamentally different view of history than I do," he said.

Instead, de Jong hoped that next year, both the South Asian community media and mainstream media would take it upon themselves to refocus their stories on the positive aspects of the two Vaisakhi celebrations like the fact that in a crowd of over 100,000 at the Surrey celebration, there was not one police incident. Or, the overwhelming amount of good will volunteers showed. Or even, how quickly the streets were cleaned after the parade.

"That (parade) route, at the end of the exercise, was cleaner than when the parade started," he laughed.

De Jong expressed the importance of continuing good relations with the South Asian community in B.C. to strengthen economic ties being made with India. Because of B.C.’s large Punjabi population, he sees the province as being in the perfect position to lead the nation on a fruitful relationship that will benefit families both on this side and in India

"One of the greatest economic opportunities that exist for us as a country and a province is the relationship with India," he said. "I am not prepared to allow our efforts as it relates to the forging of an economic relationship with India and the Punjab be sidetracked by events or the efforts of people who may have another agenda."

De Jong is currently working on a deal that would create direct flights from Abbotsford to Amritsar, which he hopes will be operational by late fall.

He is also working on establishing a B.C. presence in places like Bangalore, Mumbai and Chandigarh and is in the process of negotiating a labour mobility agreement with the government of the Punjab, he said

"If we really believe that this is an important relationship to foster, then we have to understand that standing with people who are apparently sanctioning the celebration of the death of a prime minister isn’t going to be received very well in that jurisdiction," he said referring to Indira Gandhi. "In my view, it’s counter productive to the efforts we’re trying to make to bring two great nations together."