 KUALA LUMPUR, April 18 — For many who had the pleasure of meeting him, the late Karpal Singh was an approachable statesman and lawyer who had time for everyone who sought his counsel. The man, who had been dubbed "a friend to the oppressed and marginalised", was killed in a road accident in the early hours of Thursday. A previous road accident had already left him in a wheelchair. Karpal was the MP for Jelutong for 21 years. At his death, he was the MP for Bukit Gelugor, having held the seat since 2004. The DAP veteran left behind five children, four grandchildren, and his wife of over 40 years, Gurmit Kaur. Here are ten choice quotes from his 44 years in the legal and political arena: Opposition to Islamic state
Karpal was quoted as saying in a political rally in Sungai Pinang in 1990, leading his detractors to brand him as “anti-Islam”.
“The DAP’s stand against hudud is clear … The Federal Constitution provides for a secular state. So you cannot have in a secular state an Islamic law in the form of hudud. In a secular state, we cannot have laws other than secular laws.” The crime and constitutional lawyer
This accusation led to him being charged under the Sedition Act in 2000, the first against a lawyer in court.
“It is important for every citizen in the country to know, that no one, no one is above the law ... In the case of the king and the other rulers, the Special Court is the only court which I think is quite unfair because it is one-tiered … Even the rulers have the right to the rule of law.” The tricky political tiger
Karpal’s moniker as the “Tiger of Jelutong” was derived from the confrontation, when he responded: “(Samy) could be the lion, and I could be the tiger, because there are no lions in Malaysia!”
“There was a lot of gossiping at the Sikh temple. People were saying you cannot have two tigers because one will eat the other. When I came out, I found out that his name had been changed to Man Karpal!”
Karpal risked being charged with possession of pornography, and had made an elaborate arrangement involving a flameproof briefcase and a small bottle of petrol to burn the videotape in Parliament if his plan to introduce the evidence failed The audacious move has been described in his biography by Tim Donoghue as the“biggest bluffs of his political career”. Personal life
Karpal did not keep his hair long nor wear a turban as required by the Sikh faith.
Karpal had just started using the wheelchair after a car accident in 2005 subsequently paralysed him from waist down. The legacy of Karpal Singh Karpal died just weeks after he was convicted of sedition over his remarks on the Perak Sultan’s role in the 2009 state constitutional crisis. Faced with the possibility of losing his seat, Karpal had remained cool. “The fight goes on. You knock out one Karpal Singh, a hundred Karpal Singhs will rise,” he said last month. MMail
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