Friday 29 Mar 2024
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(April 17): As Malaysians recount the colourful life of the late Karpal Singh on the anniversary of his death today, his friends and former colleagues still feel the void left by the absence of this man known to most as the “Tiger of Jelutong”.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the shared laughter, as well as adversities that his father Lim Kit Siang and Karpal faced together, had built an unique and unbreakable relationship between the two – an “iron bond”.

"He told me many times to look after Kit (Siang). He said: 'I would never let them do anything to Kit. I would be there for Kit.' He always reminded me to look after my old man," said Guan Eng.

Guan Eng said Karpal’s former DAP colleagues still occasionally reminisced about the shared experiences they had with the fiery lawyer, who had a softer, playful side when with those closest to him.

"When he laughed, it came from his stomach and sent his whole body rocking. He would laugh until he shed tears,” Guan Eng told The Malaysian Insider.

"When we had nothing to do, we exchanged stories. He would tell me about his experiences in court and politics, and laughed until he had to wipe his tears," he said, fondly recalling the lighter moments he shared with Karpal.

For Parti Keadilan Rakyat president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Karpal was more than just her husband’s lawyer. He was more like family.

"He was a towering icon in Malaysian politics. But he was not only that to us... he was part of the family,” she said.

Karpal, who died at age 73 on April 17 last year in a car accident, was opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s lawyer in his two sodomy cases and both families had grown close in the years before the veteran DAP leader died.

Dr Wan Azizah said her family missed him, and hoped that Karpal's family was doing well.

“We see the spirit of Karpal in the next generation. We hope his family copes with the loss, but sometimes we don't actually get over it.

"(We) just have to kind of let it fade away. May God bless his soul," she said.

Penang DAP's Seri Delima assemblyman R.S.N. Rayer says the late Karpal Singh instilled in him the desire to help those in need. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Hasnoor Hussain, April 17, 2015.Penang DAP's Seri Delima assemblyman R.S.N. Rayer says the late Karpal Singh instilled in him the desire to help those in need. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Hasnoor Hussain, April 17, 2015.For Seri Delima assemblyman R.S.N. Rayer, Karpal’s death meant the loss of an inspiring mentor.

"I wish 100 times and more that it was all a nightmare, and I will find Karpal still with us when I wake up,” said Rayer.

"I don't think we can ever recover from his shocking and sudden demise. He touched many hearts."

Rayer said Karpal would repeatedly instill in him the need to help those in need, regardless of race, religion or political affiliation, adding that what he missed most of his old mentor was his spirit to keep fighting.

"He had this fighting spirit, this never say die attitude. The chips might be down and the odds against him, but Karpal would always keep going.

"He had this incredible will to carry on. I miss that the most about him."

Guan Eng said his colleagues in the opposition wished all the time that Karpal was still around, but he vowed that the opposition would not let Malaysians down and would uphold its principles, just as Karpal had done.

He said people today trusted and supported Karpal's children – namely his Penang housing exco Jagdeep Singh Deo, Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo and Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh – to continue his fight for change and a better Malaysia.

"But the work cannot be done by me and Karpal's sons alone. We need all Malaysians to continue his work," he said.

Karpal’s aide, Michael Cornelius, was also killed in the car accident that occurred on the North-South Expressway in Perak while his Indonesian maid, who was travelling with them when their vehicle collided with a lorry, was seriously injured. Only Ramkarpal and the driver survived.

Guan Eng said the void that his death has left may never be filled, but believed that the legacy Karpal left behind, both in those he mentored as well as in his work, would continue to live on.

"Karpal laid the foundation for the future (of a better nation),” said Guan Eng.

“Although he isn't around anymore, we must remember him by carrying out the work he had started.” – The Malaysian Insider

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