PAN AP Mourns the Passing of a Pioneer Social Activist and Dear Friend

The Staff and leadership of the Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific mourns the passing of Mr. Bishan Singh, this morning of Wednesday 29 November 2006.

As a member of our Steering Council (Board) and Management Committee, Bishan was a guiding light and inspiration in our work, and actively involved himself in helping to set the direction, content and ethics of PAN AP’s programmes, vision and mission.

His invaluable experience and knowledge on sustainable development, environmental conservation and protection issues, and especially sustainable/ecological agriculture, have been a tremendous contribution to PAN AP’s growth in these areas. Bishan was also very keenly involved in PAN AP’s advocacy for Food Sovereignty, and staunchly upheld the need for grassroots empowerment and rights for self determination in these matters.

His leadership and insights on creative management and organisational development, have informed the growth of the PAN AP secretariat and network.

For PAN AP, Bishan’s integrity, principled and spiritual leadership was also a great influence and inspiration to us all. His passion and dedication to human, social and environmental justice was a part of his soul. "Like my mother used to say, what you are is God's gift to you. What you do and become is your gift to God," he once explained.

PAN AP extends our deepest condolences to his wife, Mary, and their children and grandchildren at this time.

He will be profoundly missed by the PAN AP secretariat and our network partners.

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A Remarkable Man’s Life and Work

Others have also recognised the tremendous talent, knowledge and wisdom of this remarkable man. Recognition from within Malaysia flourished within 2006.

In September, Bishan was awarded the “Langkawi Award” by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, for his continuous contributions to environmental rehabilitation and conservation.

In his capacity as the President of the Sustainable Network (SUSDEN) Malaysia, Bishan’s tireless efforts on the environment and sustainability began in his own backyard. He had collaborated with the indigenous Jakun peoples, tour operators and local government to help save and rehabilitate one of Malaysia’s natural treasures, Lake Chini in the state of Pahang. Once famous for its lotus flowers and legends, the Lake had suffered increasingly from pollution. Bishan spearheaded the campaign, and became known as the “champion” of the Save Lake Chini Campaign, which focused on preserving the lake, its flora and fauna, as well as the culture and livelihood of the Jakun people who live in the area.

His perseverance eventually earned him much admiration and respect from various quarters. The Pahang State government responded by setting up the Save Lake Chini Committee; and DiGi Telecommunications Sdn. Bhd. named him as one of this year's five “Amazing Malaysians”.

Additionally, Bishan was the Chair of the Malaysian Environmental NGOs (MENGOs), a networking partnership of 19 environmental organisations in Malaysia. He had also served as a member in the National Consumer Advisory Council of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumers Affairs.

Bishan was also the Executive Director of the Management Institute for Social Change (MINSOC) and the Senior Regional Co-coordinator of MINSOC’s Development Services. He co-ordinated and provided field-based project assessments, capacity and team building training, project formulation, monitoring and evaluation services to the United Nation agencies, donor organisations, government agencies and civil society organisations in the Asia Pacific region.

Bishan had served as the Project Manager for the People-centred Sustainable Development (PCSD) pilot Project in Manila; and later as the Senior Adviser of the Farmer-centred Agricultural Resource Management (FARM) Programme with the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations.

He was the former President of the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (FOMCA) and the Consumers Association of Pahang (PAC).

During his tenure as FOMCA President, Bishan was elected a Council Member of IOCU (now called Consumers International) and was the Co-chair of IOCU Education Committee. He served for more than 10 years as a member of the National Consumer Advisory and Protection Council of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (now Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumers Affairs) Malaysia. Bishan also served 3 terms as a Councillor in the Kuantan Municipal Council.

Bishan trained as a teacher with a Diploma in Education and had 20 years of teaching experience. He left teaching for development work. He studied social development at the Coady International Institute, University of St. Francis Xavier, Nova Scotia, Canada. Later he obtained a Master’s degree (with distinction) in Development Management from the Asian Institute of Management, (AIM) Philippines. He has authored numerous papers and has participated in many conferences, meetings and seminars.

In recognition of his services Mr. Bishan was awarded, the Ahli Mangku Negara (AMN) by His Majesty the King of Malaysia, the Justice of Peace (JP) Role of Honour by His Royal Highness, the Sultan of Pahang and the Setia Makhota Pahang (SMP) award for his dedicated services to the State of Pahang for community development. He was also the first recipient of the National Consumer Advocate award by the government of Malaysia for his contribution to consumer education and consumer protection.

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