The tiger sleeps. But his roar will be heard for generations to come. What more when his cubs, now ferocious adult tigers themselves, roam the political and legal jungles, striking fear in the hearts of their adversaries, just like their father.

               

It was a harsh and unforgiving political climate that he thrived in. And in an era where Malaysians had almost zero access to alternative information, he became one of the most respected, admired and recognisable politicians.

From kampungs, estates to the cities, be it the young or old, everyone knew Karpal Singh.

               

It was former MIC president S Samy Vellu (centre) who first referred to Karpal as a tiger, calling the lawyer-turned-politician a “tiger of the court” while dubbing himself a “lion”.

In response, Karpal said that Samy Vellu could be the lion and he the tiger, but then was quick to point out that there were no lions in Malaysia.

It was following this exchange that Karpal, who was the MP for Jelutong for more than two decades, became known as the “Tiger of Jelutong”.

Despite their political differences, Samy Vellu had told the media after Karpal’s death that both lion and tiger were good friends. He also recounted how the renowned lawyer took cases on a pro bono basis and even helped MIC on certain legal matters.

After 2008, the tiger was more fond of referring to himself as “Singh is King” after a popular Bollywood movie in that name was released.

Anwar filed motion to suspend Karpal

Another interesting point is that Anwar Ibrahim, then deputy prime minister, had filed a motion to suspend Karpal from Parliament after he raised the issue of pornographic videotapes involving then Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker DP Vijandran, one of MIC’s rising stars, in 1989.

When the tapes were later handed over to the police, then Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang called on Anwar to apologise to Karpal for accusing him of engaging in baseless character assassination.

In January 1990, then CID director Zaman Khan shocked the country when he revealed that the police had closed the file on the Vijandran videotape scandal.

He also revealed that the police had destroyed 11 videotapes and four envelopes of 2,000 photographs and negatives on the directive of the attorney-general.

None would discount the fact that Karpal had lived an illustrious life, be it in the courtroom or the political arena. And this is why political pundits lament that the void he has left behind will be hard to fill.

Below are some other interesting facts about Karpal:

  • Studied law at the University of Singapore.

 

  • Karpal’s call to the Bar in 1969 was formally opposed by leading Penang criminal lawyer Jagjit Singh - thought by experienced Malaysian lawyers to be motivated by fear of the future threat Karpal would pose. The move was unprecedented and quickly dismissed.

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  • He joined DAP in 1970, and was first elected to Parliament in 1978. He held the Jelutong seat until 1999, when he and Kit Siang suffered a surprising defeat. He, however, returned to Parliament in the next election by winning the Bukit Gelugor seat (in 2004) and held it until his death.

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  • He married Gurmit Kaur in 1970 and the couple have five children. Sons Jagdeep, Gobind, Ramkarpal and daughter Sangeet are all lawyers, while their youngest son Mankarpal is a banker. Jagdeep and Gobind are also elected representatives.

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  • In an interview with The Star in 2006, Gurmit revealed that their love story began when she was 8 and Karpal, 16. She also disclosed how Karpal enjoyed drawing cartoons and making birthday cards for their children.

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  • As a youth, he was an avid motorcyclist who was known to ride from Penang to Kuala Lumpur.

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  • Among the international court cases he was involved in were Kevin Barlow, the Australian who was hanged for trafficking heroin. He also defended New Zealanders Lorraine and Aaron Cohen on heroin trafficking charges in 1987.

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  • He was denied a certificate to practice in Singapore in 2002 when he attempted to represent four schoolgirls who wanted to sue the government for not allowing them to wear the ‘tudung’ (headscarf).

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  • He was one of those detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) during the infamous Operasi Lalang in 1987 during the tenure of Dr Mahathir Mohamad. He filed a writ of habeas corpus that said his imprisonment was unconstitutional and was freed by a judge. On his way home, police re-arrested him at a roadblock and hauled him back to jail - a total of about nine hours freedom.

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  • His stiff opposition to the implementation of hudud law on the grounds that Malaysia is a secular nation had earned him both bouquets and brickbats. His most famous quote regarding this being, “Over my dead body”, just before the 1990 general election.

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  • He is held in high esteem by members of the media fraternity, especially journalists who recall how he never failed to answer phone calls or take the time to explain complicated legal matters.

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  • In 2005, Karpal was left paralysed from the waist down following an accident. He was in the back seat of a taxi when it was hit by a car from behind. Though it left him confined to a wheelchair, the incident did not dampen his spirit.

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  • He had once described himself as a religious man but not one who went to the temple often. In an interview, he had said that the principles by which one lives is a measure of one’s faith.

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