Above all, Karpal was a great father
For as long as I have been aware of this thing called “politics,” I have been aware of Karpal Singh.
As a boy, my image of him was often humorous, based as they were on classic Lat cartoons.
A particular favourite has Mr Karpal looking gigantic in full court regalia holding aloft a coconut scrapper with one superhuman hand while pointing accusingly at some poor weedy sap with another.
A small man interrupts this dramatic cross examination with a whispered message that Lim Kit Siang was waiting in the court canteen for a party meeting!
It was only later, as I grew older, that I realised Mr Karpal was much more than just the mortal enemy of (Datuk Seri S.) Samy Vellu.
He was fighting for things that have become so very important to me, and I believe, many of my fellow Malaysians – the rule of law, constitutionalism, democracy, human rights and social justice.
I cannot begin to state the importance of the man in Malaysian politics and law.
And Mr Karpal’s bravery, integrity, honesty and decency have been celebrated on these pages by those who knew him far better than me.
I just want to add one thing that I feel has been missing, not by any purposeful oversight, but by the simple fact that he was such a giant figure for this country, that one can be forgiven for forgetting.
I went to school with two of Karpal’s sons. They are my friends still.
In all the time I have known them, they have spoken of their father with nothing but pride and the greatest affection.
Mr Karpal can’t have been home much, being as busy as he was. Yet despite the demands of legal practice and politics on his time, his children love him dearly. That is just a great a testament to the man as any of his political and legal success.
Rest in Peace Mr Karpal. You will be sorely missed. – April 17, 2014.
