Friday 18 April 2014

Remembering Karpal

I distinctively remember the first time I met Karpal Singh in person. It was at the Parliament.


I was walking along the corridor outside the Dewan Rakyat hall when I saw him coming from the opposite direction.

There was only the two of us on the whole stretch of corridor. The Dewan was in session at that moment and he was probably on his way back in after a break at the wash room or something. I was at the Parliament due to my work.

Karpal was not yet wheel-chair bound on that day and he looked very fine.

Being at that time a fresh law graduate, I was at awe upon seeing him in person. After all, I was familiar with his exploits as reputably the best criminal and constitutional lawyer in the country. I was back then dreaming of being a lawyer like him.

Karpal was all smiles and charming when I approached him and introduced myself. He was visibly pleased when I told him that I had recently graduated from law school and how I admired his work.

He asked when would I be sitting for my CLP (Certificate of Legal Practice) of which I explained that I was working to save enough money to pay for the tuition and examination fees.

I had studied and got my law degree on my own money as I had not obtained any scholarship or study loan.

To my amazement, Karpal was actually concerned and asked if I needed any help.

There I was, meeting him by chance for the first time and he was already offering me help. It was after all just a brief encounter.

I thanked him and said I would be fine and should have saved enough money by the end of the year to go back to my studies for the CLP.

Karpal nonetheless told me that I may call him if I needed help and gave me his calling card.

I remember his calling card well as there was on it a jawi script of his name, among others.

Yesterday, Karpal died in a tragic road accident.

When I got to know about it in the early hours of the morning, I was genuinely saddened.

Karpal may belong to the DAP, a party which real objectives I am so much against, but him as a person is a totally different matter.

I once talked with former PKR man Zaid Ibrahim, who is a prominent lawyer in his own right and asked him what differentiate between him and DS Anwar Ibrahim.

Zaid replied that there were two types of people who joined the opposition parties, of which the first were those who think they may gain something by doing so while the second were those who uphold the idealism of those opposition parties.

Zaid said he belongs to the second group.

I believe Karpal belonged in the same group too. He was steadfast in his beliefs and fiercely defended those beliefs without any compromise. I may disagree with his methods but I do respect him for his professionalism and forthrightness.

I will miss Karpal's presence in the country's political scene.

I am sure he will also be missed by all, especially those directly involved in Malaysian politics.

It's especially heartening to note that even Karpal's political opponents went out of their way to extend their sincere condolences to his family.

PM DS Najib Razak immediately tweeted his message of condolences for Karpal's family right after he landed in Angkara for an official visit there. He had then issued an official statement to that effect later on.

DPM TS Muhyiddin Yassin also yesterday personally visited Karpal's family in Penang to extend his condolences.

If anything, I would like to believe that Malaysian politics suddenly doesn't seem to be such a nasty business after all.

My heart felt condolences for Karpal's family.


Note 1: I never did call Karpal after that first time I met him nor did I in the end sit for my CLP examinations.
Note 2: I will not allow rude comments on this posting.

43 comments:

  1. Love him or hate him, you've gotta take your hat off to Karpal. He has more balls than most politicians in this country collectively have.

    I never liked DAP much but always thought of Karpal as a voice of conscience in our country.

    Wherever he is now, I'm sure he's at a better place. May he rest in peace. To quote Barney Stinson, he's legendary.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am a Malay Muslim .If there is an election in my constituency and the candidates are Karpal versus TGNAziz, i'll vote for Karpal. If Karpa versus Bung Mokhtar, Karpal would be my choice, Karpal versus Samy Velu, easy meat. But if it happened to be Karpal versus Mahathir, unfortunately Karpal won't get my vote.
    A great man he was but a greater person he could be if had tempered his convictions and principles to suit the stark reality of the social, economic and political environment of Malaysia.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Mr. Karpal Singh, may Allah Most High and Merciful pardon you in all matters and keep you in His presence, even as we too seek the sanctuary of His Truth.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=TifX6NDCPCg

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 1. Hukum mendoakan orang kafir.

      Mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Fatwa Negeri Kedah yang bersidang telah membincangkan mengenai Mendoakan Orang Kafir. Mesyuarat memutuskan bahawa haram ke atas seseorang muslim yang dengan sengaja berdoa dengan kebaikan seperti berdoa untuk diberi keampunan atau diberi rahmat atau dipanjang umur kepada orang yang bukan berugama Islam kecuali untuk diberi taufiq dan hidayah kepada memeluk agama Islam.

      http://www.e-fatwa.gov.my/fatwa-negeri/mendoakan-orang-kafir

      2. Larangan mendoakan orang kafir dalam Al Quran

      Surah al-Taubah, ayat 113-114: Tidaklah dibenarkan bagi nabi dan orang-orang yang beriman, meminta ampun bagi orang-orang musyrik, sekalipun orang itu kaum kerabat sendiri, sesudah nyata bagi mereka bahawa orang-orang musyrik itu adalah ahli neraka. [113]

      http://www.mukmin.com.my/baca.php?kategori=10&id=1328

      P.S

      My apology, this reply is meant for information especially for the Muslims. I have to add this so that the Muslims who don't understand Sikhism won't get confused.

      Delete
  4. Annie,

    It might not be Jawi. It could be Urdu or being a Punjabi himself, the name was also written in Punjabi using the Shahmukhi style.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punjabi_language

    ReplyDelete
  5. Annie,

    A true politician with common sense and integrity will know how to differentiate between politics and politicking.

    Politicians who practices the political ideology can tell the difference as to when to respect their opponent and when to oppose them, compared to politicians who hold strongly to politicking, they took everything and anything from a political point of view, with the purpose only to suit their will.

    Hesmel Faznee Faisal.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I pity this Tiger of Jelutong.

    Karpal exposes Anwar's homosexuality in Parliment in 1998 and in 2008 he accuses Anwar "Anwar Ibrahim has created enough trouble for the country... Anwar Ibrahim harus bertaubat".

    Karpal Singh may be a good leader but he lost all his credibility when he became the lead counsel for Anwar Ibrahim in his second sodomy case.

    "Harimau mati meninggalkan belang, manusia mati meninggalkan nama... tetapi Harimau Jelutong mati meninggalkan tembelang". RIP Karpal.

    Blackmoon.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Eventhough, Karpal Singh is a good politician, said what he 'think' is right and always stick to what he believed in, but as a Muslim forever, I cant forget or forgive his statement and its implication, 'Over my death body!' His timely death when 'the hudud' will be presented in the parliament might tell us somethings.
    '......Karpal Singh may be a good leader but he lost all his credibility when he became the lead counsel for Anwar Ibrahim in his second sodomy case.....' ( anon 10:55 )
    I totally agreed with anon 10:55 . I also lost my respect to Karpal Singh as a politician who uphold his idealism/believed. Don't forget, he was first the politician who opened Anwar 'pandora box' in parliament!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. See how umno will not support huduh. They support karpal Singh in nit supporting it.

      Delete
  8. Methinks Karpal Singh was a good lawyer and a gentle-man.Respect him for that.But couldn't agree with him in many matters.

    Let's wait how the DAP will show its respect to its late chairman.M anxious to know who will replace him in Jelutong.The DAP in Jelutong will soon have a good time searching for a replacement.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. why should we replace Jeff Ooi,the MP of Jelutong.??????mabok kut.

      Delete
    2. Jeff Ooi can never replace the Tiger of Jelutong... He is only the Kucing Kurap of Jelutong.

      Delete
  9. Is not a lawyer's job to defend any accused even if he/she is a murderer?

    That's the principle between an ethical lawyer and a political lawyer of which we have seen many.

    So wat makes people hate good lawyers just because they belong to a political party? Isn't it obvious that politics has crept into people's judgement of other human beings.

    It's the same as hating all Jews just because your religion says so.

    Ever read in the Holy Koran that Cinabeng or DAP evengelista are to be hated?

    So what gives? Money, posts, rewards under BN?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just which religion were you referring to sir that calls its adherents to hate all Jews? What's a Cinabeng by the way? Is the DAP evangelista a species of religionist or what? Exactly who is it who "hates" Cinabengs and DAPevangelistas by virtue of the Holy Koran? What have money, posts and rewards under BN got to do with what the Holy Koran gives out as injunctions to hate or love particular species of human beings? Aren't you confuting ethical imperatives with political polemics in your imputations?

      Delete
    2. "Is not a lawyer's job to defend any accused even if he/she is a murderer?"

      Yes. Once a lawyer has committed himself to his client, then he must defend him/her to the hilt, even if the lawyer believes his/her client is indeed guilty as accused.

      However, lawyers also have the right to refuse to represent a client, especially if doing so goes against their conscience, which otherwise,could allow their prejudices to jeopardise their efforts to defend their client.

      Delete
    3. Annie,

      Karpal Singh appears to be an "Old" DAP politician who genuinely believes in the spirit of its Malaysian Malaysia policy and social democracy.

      I see little evidence of those ideals in the "New" DAP of today,which has attracted a lot of new blood who joined it for opportunistic reasons, now that it has moved beyond the possibility of being a permanent watchdog in parliament to the possibility of being a party in a governing coalition.

      Unfortunately, once the opportunists come on board in large enough numbers, the quality of the parties commitment to its ideology gets diluted and even hijacked.

      To prevent that, a party must have strict membership criteria where members must go through a probationary period as candidate members - during which time their commitment, ideological purity and sincerety, ideological and political maturity and social practice are tested before they are accepted into the party as full members.

      Karpal Singh had differences with the other DAP top leaders, so I do wonder what direction the DAP will take and how it change, now that Karpal is gone

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu4obLY0X78

      Deepest condolences to the families of Karpal and his assistant Michael Cornelius.

      May their souls rest in peace.

      Delete
    4. Anon 15:55,

      In the case of Karpal, he was also a politician. And as a politician he was taking advantage of Ahwar's sodomy case to benefit his political career as well as DAPig. I never respect a flip flop politician and Karpal was one. And I'm not saddened of his passing.

      Delete
    5. Alhamdulillah. I, too, am not saddened by his passing. To me, he was a true-blue enemy of Islam.

      GEMBIRA DENGAN KEMATIAN MUSUH ISLAM TERDAPAT DI DALAM SUNNAH

      Berikut pandangan Pengerusi Majlis Ulama ISMA (MUIS) Prof Madya Dr Aznan Hasan berhubung sikap yang sepatutnya diamalkan oleh umat Islam:

      "Merasa kegembiraan dengan kematian mereka yang memusuhi Islam (atau undang-undang Islam), apatah lagi dengan permusuhan dan penentangan yang terancang adalah warid di dalam sunnah.

      Menyamakan ini (memuji mendiang Karpal) dengan penghormatan Nabi Muhammad ke atas jenazah Yahudi adalah suatu qiyas yang tidak tepat sama sekali.

      Yahudi tersebut adalah seorang yang tidak memerangi Islam, bahkan beliau merupakan seorang warganegara di dalam negara Islam Madinah.

      Dua perbezaan yang tidak boleh disamakan sama sekali. Apatah lagi untuk menyamakan beliau dgn Abu Talib. Subhanallah, di mana persamaannya?

      Untuk menyatakan RIP (rest in peace) kepada seorang kafir yang meninggal dunia, di mana semasa hayatnya adalah secara konsisten menentang Islam (atau hukum-hukum Islam) adalah sesuatu yang tidak dapat diterima sama sekali.

      Apatah lagi untuk mengucapkan (menghadiahkan bacaan) Surah AlFatihah. Secara hukum-hakam syaraknya, kita sudah tahu ke mana akhirannya di sana.

      Umat Islam perlu jelas hukum-hakam syarak dan tidak sepatutnya bersifat apologetik dalam hal ini."


      Delete
    6. Sahl bin Hunaif dan Qees bin Saad melaporkan: Sesungguhnya Nabi SAW dilintasi di hadapannya oleh satu jenazah, lalu baginda berdiri. Diberitakan kepada baginda bahawa ia adalah jenazah seorang Yahudi. Lalu baginda bersabda: “Tidakkah ia satu jiwa?”.
      Direkod oleh Bukhari (no: 1250) dan Muslim (no: 961).

      - Hadis ini menunjukkan digalakkan berdiri apabila ada jenazah melintasi kita, samada jenazah itu Muslim ataupun kafir. Cuma ada pendapat ulama yang mengatakan ia mansukh.

      - Illah berdiri ketika jenazah bukan Islam melintasi, ialah seperti berikut:

      a) kerana ia satu jiwa yang diciptakan Allah (sebagaimana di dalam hadis di atas)

      b) kerana merasai kegerunan terhadap kematian. Dalilnya: Jabir bin Abdillah melaporkan: Kami dilintasi oleh satu jenazah, lalu Rasulullah SAW berdiri, dan kami berdiri bersamanya. Aku berkata: “Wahai Rasulallah, Ia hanyalah jenazah Yahudi”. Lalu baginda bersabda: “Sesungguhnya bagi kematian itu ada kegerunan. Maka apabila kamu melihat jenazah, berdirilah”. Direkod oleh Ahmad (no: 1992) Dinilai Sahih oleh Ibn Hibban (no: 3050)

      c) Menghormati Malaikat. Berdasarkan hadis Anas bin Malik, katanya: Satu jenazah melintasi Rasulullah SAW, lalu baginda berdiri. Diberitahu padanya: “Itu jenazah Yahudi”. Baginda bersabda: “Sesungguhnya kita hanya berdiri untuk malaikat”. Direkod oleh Nasai (no: 1929).

      Di dalam hadis Abdullah bin Amru, katanya: Nabi SAW ditanya: “Apabila jenazah kafir melalui kita, adakah kita berdiri?” Jawab baginda: “Ya, berdirilah. Sesungguhnya kamu bukan berdiri untuk jenazah itu, tetapi berdiri kerana membesarkan yang mencabut roh-roh”. Direkod oleh Ahmad (no: 6573), dinilai sahih oleh Hakim (no: 1320), dan Ibn Hibban (no: 3053)

      http://abuumair.com/soal-jawab/al-quran-dan-hadis/02-023/

      Delete
  10. Karpal Singh will be remember as a good lawyer. He was among the best in Malaysia. That's earn my respect. As a politician, once I admire him. But than again it was a long time ago. I may not agreed with him now but I wll remember him as someone who always stood up for what he believed. For his family "Takziah"...

    :lsarah

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Annie, that was the period when all DAP members dah nak mampus; that's why even karpal pun sedar diri. Masa tu DAP especially dah nyawa2 ikan Annie. Because of Anwar who was released from jail by pak lah yg mengacau bilaukan negara; lepas tu DAP semua dah naik tocang berlagak gile. Dari party yg dah nak pupus to what it has become now - do you think karpal would be that nice to you if you met him recently like in these 2 or 3 years ago?

      Delete
  11. Life Story Of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the foremost Saint of the Sikhs, who was a hafiz of the Holy Quran and kept the companionship of Muslim Sufis:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=lsjGayRu7TQ

    When the Muslim judge asked him to explain his recurring statement: "There is no Hindu and there is no Muslimin", Guru Nanak proclaimed thus:

    "To be a Muslimin is difficult; if one be really so, then one may be called a Muslim. Let one first love the religion of saints, and put aside pride and self as the file removes rust. Let him accept the religion of the pious, and dismiss anxiety regarding death or life; Let him heartily obey the will of God, worship the Creator, and efface himself - when Nanak is kind to all men, then he shall indeed be a Muslimin.

    Make Kindness your mosque, Sincerity your prayer-carpet, what is Just and Lawful your Quran, Modesty your circumcision, Civility your fasting -- then shall you be a Muslimin;

    Make Right Conduct thy Kaaba, Truth thy spiritual guide, Good works thy creed and thy prayer, The Will of God thy rosary, and God will preserve your honour, O Nanak, let other people's goods be to you like the swine is to the Muslim and the cow is to the Hindu; Hindu and Muslim spiritual teachers will do bail for you if you do not eat carrion.

    You shall not go to heaven by lip service; it is by the practice of truth that you shall be delivered. Unlawful food will not become lawful by putting spices therein. Nanak, from false words only falsehood can be obtained.

    There are 5 prayers, 5 times for prayer, and 5 names for them -
    The first should be Truth, the second what is Right, the third is Charity in God's name, the fourth is Good Intentions, and the fifth is the Praise and Glorification of God. If you make good works the creed which you repeat, then you are a Muslimin. They who are false, O Nanak, shall only obtain that which is falsehood."

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sikhs call their Tuhan "Allah" also. Habis nak perangi semua orang Sikh juga kah?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. anon 22:06

      tak payah... cuma perang dgn bahalol mcm kau!!

      Delete
  13. There are so many hypocrites here. Saying good things about someone who had just passed away. Many of you despised him when he was alive. Why suddenly all the praises?

    I shed no tear for him. He had done enough damage, may the rest of us live in peace in this country. Just be aware that another one will quickly assume his role and we will be back at each other's throat sooner that we can sigh a relief.

    ReplyDelete
  14. It is a stark reminder to all of us, especially the believers, that our life in this world can end anytime. You may be at your prime or at your lowest. Just pray that we will depart in "husnul khatimah". Those lucky enough to see "his last photo" should aspire to not to leave this world in that state.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can still google the picture.

      Delete
    2. Re. "husnul khatimah"

      Siapa Sebenarnya Ahmad Ammar Ahmad Azam

      Ahmad Ammar telah meninggal dunia akibat kemalangan jalan raya. Beliau dilanggar oleh sebuah ambulan ketika melintas jalan di Istanbul pada hari Sabtu 2 November 2013.

      http://www.nizarazu.com/siapa-sebenarnya-ahmad-ammar-ahmad-azam/

      P.S

      Check out Allahyarham Ahmad Amar face after his death in the link above and compare it with Karpal Singh's face after his death. both died in an accident.

      http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dVTCiMjpxHc/U08qW43IqjI/AAAAAAAAPsg/KN0Hfs79vnY/s1600/BlYhBuRCUAIKzrI.jpg

      Delete
    3. Anon 18:12. Thanks for the post. Macam langit dengan bump.

      Delete
  15. He should have stick to his own principles. Sadly he will always be known as the lawyer who defended Anwar's sodomy activities.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Sorry but I never like Karpal Singh. In my eyes he was someone with no principle. He will do anything for money. He defended Anwar even when he knew without any reasonable doubt that Anwar is guilty. He asked for postponement after postponement during Saiful's sodomy trial. That was unforgiveable cause it resulted in oppression to Saiful's rights of a timely trial. I'm not going to be a hypocrite and say nice things about him just because he is dead. I truly believe that Malaysia will be a better place without him and his DAP hypocrites.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. anon 14:07
      totally agreed.. his "achievement" nothing to shout about!! period

      Delete
    2. 1407. Why don't you fuck off? You insensitive hypocritical asshole

      Delete
  17. Not sure why Penang wanted a state funeral for him; Karpal build Penang?; donate money n land for the poor?; defend the poor for free? Done a lot of social work for the poor?;

    He was known to be vocal and defended a lot of criminals but his image tarnished when he cant defend Anwar .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He cant defend anwsr because he expose the stupidity of the judges. He do social work by opening tje eyes and minds of social justice. He is a tiger snd roar agsinst the injustices made ny umno. Why sabahans and sarawakian bumis still have unpiped water when the state have gas and oil? They should live like brunei

      Delete
    2. Re. He do social work by opening tje eyes and minds of social justice.

      Quote "Karpal had no time for the Tamils or their plight. He was the “Tiger of the Chinese” monied classes in Penang. On occasion when he assisted a death row prisoner it was for a political rather than humane causes. And he wanted the world to know about it. His failures those that could have been avoided with care were never for public discussion and the Malaysian bar are to blame for that.' Unquote

      credit : grkumar @ Helen Ang

      Re. He is a tiger snd roar agsinst the injustices made ny umno

      Quote "Karpal was loud the Malays and Chinese believed these were the mythical ‘warrior’ movie star breed from the pages of Indian Movie news. In truth he was no great lawyer. But he had established himself cleverly at a time when lawyers were scarce and disobedience to authority was still a Gandhian virtue to be revered.' unquote

      Credit : grkumar @ Helen Ang

      Re. Why sabahans and sarawakian bumis still have unpiped water when the state have gas and oil?

      You meant the whole states of Sabah and Serawak have no piped water. Where do you got to school? SJKC or SJKT?

      Re. They should live like brunei

      INDEED THEY SHOULD. Remember STATELESS CHINESE in Brunei? If ever they ask for independence from Malaysian, kicking out those ungrateful BASTARD from the states is imminent to prevent similar experience faced by the BUMIPUTERA in TANAH MELAYU now.

      Delete
    3. Re. He cant defend anwsr because he expose the stupidity of the judges.

      The stupid judges didn't keep failing their exams during college year but Karpal always did, according to Tan Sri Ling Liong Sik.

      Delete
    4. LoL.. you won! I like and agree with your response. I live in Sabah and this is a huge state. Of course for those living at rural/unaccessable by road dont have piped water but they hv their own source of water. It's the people choice on where they want to live.. they hv options :) small town like pegalungan, nabawan, kemabong, kuala tomani, salarom taka.. all have piped water okay!

      Delete
    5. http://www.span.gov.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=669&Itemid=423&lang=en

      Only 59.9% Kelantan's population have piped treated water (the lowest in Malaysia, lower than Sabah's 82%). Sabah and sarawak are understandable because of their vast region.. but Kelantan?

      Delete
    6. Anon 18;51

      Don't forget the Selangor GOMEN water shortage disaster. Ada paip tapi tak cukup air...

      Delete
  18. Karpal was the one who exposed Anwar's activity in the parliament in 1997 and asked the government to take action on the DPM. He also said Anwar mesti bertaubat. I respected him until he made the u-turn and became the lawyer to defend Anwar.. Money and power are damn dangerous.. that's sick. ASALKAN BUKAN UMNO/BN kan? Condolence to Karpal's family though.

    ReplyDelete
  19. In Lorraine and Aaron Cohen case.. Karpal used to be their lawyer and somehow both of them escape from death sentence (drug trafficking).. However, once again they were captured in New Zealand 7 years later because of drugs too. We was also representing Barlow in 1985 who was sentenced to death due to drug trafficking too along with Chambers... Karpal's preference on defending criminals is very disturbing because he was very capable of making real criminals escape.. sorry Annie, I dont have that much respect on him.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Opposition media boast about the counts of visitor to his funeral with Awe but they never mention that he truly Shock and Awe at the end of his life . For Karpal wannabe, keep you mouth from saying egoist word that belittle other religion.

    ReplyDelete