T Hanuratha
The name Karpal Singh was introduced to me when I was still a little girl. I grew up hearing this name over and over again . Coming from the laid back town of Batang Berjuntai, now known as Bestari Jaya, we were yet to be exposed to the wonders of the internet.
Our only source of information was through the newspapers but mainstream media did not mention much of Karpal’s political exploits but his prowess in court did not escape coverage of the Malaysian media.
Admiration for the man, dubbed the Tiger of Jelutong, grew in leaps and bounds. He was known as the Tiger of Jelutong because he was unbeatable in the constituency back in the 1970s and 1980s.
I first laid eyes on the Man, after he turned grey. His trademark was the white goatee. You could see it a mile away. The meeting took place at the old High Court building. Covering a trial, I shivered as Karpal approached reporters during a short break during the trial.
Senior reporters called him over to explain the case and his arguments. Without a hint of arrogance, he started talking. Polished and refined, every word was scrutinised before it was uttered.
He gave us a crisp clear picture of the case. That was the first of many meetings with him, covering his cases. Then came an opportunity of having an interview with Karpal.
Finally came the day, I walked into his office face to face with the man I had admired since a kid. He made me feel at ease, talking about the courts and life generally.
To a question when he would retire, the famous lawyer replied:”I will retire when I fall off this wheelchair”.
Yesterday, after nearly four years later, these words suddenly came to mind.
It was a shock when the phone alert started going hyper in the wee hours yesterday morning. A Facebook post said Karpal had died in a road accident near Kampar. This needed double checking. Waking up from slumber at 4am in the morning, I started going through Facebook posts by friends and those from the DAP.
It was confirmed. The Tiger of Jelutong had passed on. The Roar had gone silent.
He died in a car accident shortly before 1am at KM301.6 of the North-South Expressway near Gua Tempurung, Kampar, Perak. He was traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Penang to attend a court hearing. There were 3 other occupants in Karpal’s Toyota Alphard, which had the iconic number plate KS 9898.
His long-time assistant Michael Cornelius Selvam Vellu also perished. Karpal’s son, Ramkarpal, and the driver were injured.
Karpal Singh Ram Singh was a veteran lawyer and politician born on June 28, 1940. The Bukit Gelugor Member of Parliament (MP) was also DAP national chairman, a position he assumed in 2004.
The Penang born Punjabi, Karpal Singh obtained his law degree from the University of Singapore. He was most probably one of the very few students who studied law for 7-long years compared to the usual three years. This is because the iconic lawyer kept failing year in, year out, nearly exhausting the duration given for a student to complete his or her law degree.
Being the “most senior” at the University, served as the student union president. Till now many law graduates refer to Karpal at their role model for their studies. When someone failed the exams, students will automatically offer words of consolation using Karpal as an example. “Don’t worry, even Karpal Singh took 7-years to finish his law,” was the most heard off line to console someone who had failed in the exams.
During the interview, the 73-year-old admitted that he was “playful” and “didn’t attend lectures” and attributed this to his years in law school.
After he flunked his final year, the Dean of law school made him sit in front of the class during lessons.
“After this I couldn’t play the fool anymore and I passed my exams accordingly,” he said reminiscing about the old times at the University of Singapore.
Karpal was called to the Penang Bar and joined a firm in Alor Setar, Kedah at the age of 29. The rest was history. His arguements in court won him many admirers. They were not only from the legal fraternity but also from the general masses.
Tackling high profile cases with ease, the man started carving a name for himself in the legal field. He has handled various cases ranging from drug trafficking charges to the sodomy charge levelled against former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim.
May it be in Parliament or the courts, Karpal was a revered figure, coming up with convincing and sensible arguements, which put many other politicians to shame.
Sometime ago in Parliament, Karpal declared “Singh is King” taking the cue for the famous Akshay Kumar movie. This tag stuck on to him.
Karpal’s foray into politics began in 1970 when he joined the DAP. He won a seat in the Kedah State Legislative Assembly in1974. He was first elected to Parliament in 1978 as the representative for Jelutong, Penang, and held the seat for more than 20 years until losing it in1999.
He returned to parliament in the next general election, and led the DAP to its strongest ever performance in the 2008 general election.
Karpal Singh, along with many other opposition politicians, was detained without trial under the Internal Security Act during Operation Lalang for “inciting” racial tension in the country in 1987.
He was involved in a road accident some three years ago. This left him semi-paralysed requiring the use of a wheelchair.
A car had rammed into a taxi he was travelling in from behind, causing severe contusion to his thoracic vertebrae.
As a result, Karpal suffered sensory impairment and reduced motor strength, which made him unable to walk, or raise his right arm a few centimeters. That accident brought him closer to Michael, who died with his boss 24-hours ago.
While the roar had gone silent, the spirit of the man will live on. We may not hear his familiar grunts, we may not witness his skills in court, we may not listen his logic in Parliament but Karpal Singh will not be forgotten.
T Hanuratha is a public relations practitioner.
