We’ll miss you Tiger of Jelutong

The Tiger of Jelutong is no more. Karpal Singh, who ceased being a person a long time ago and became an institution, died in the early hours of April 17 in a road accident near Ipoh. He was 73.

The last time I met him was at an election rally. He had come to campaign for his son Gobind Singh who was contesting the Puchong parliamentary seat.

I had gone to the rally primarily to listen to him, and to see him again. While talking to some of those standing on the field, I realised that there were others too who had come to watch the man – or rather, the legend – in action.

In the midst of a speech by one of the Opposition leaders, whispers began circulating, becoming louder and louder. Then people began turning to look back: Karpal Singh, the Chairman of the Democratic Action Party had arrived.

Those present forgot the speaker, who, knowing that he had lost his audience, decided to take a long pause to allow Karpal to come to the front.

Karpal was carried in his wheelchair by his helpers. I was astonished at the speed at which the crowd made a path for him to pass through. People cheered and applauded as he passed. Many tried to shake his hand.

Only after Karpal had settled in, and the crowd’s excitement had died down, did the speaker resume his speech. He was smart enough to end his speech speedily.

Then Karpal took the stage and everyone became alert. He spoke in his usual combative style, a style that had won him many votes in the past.

After the rally, as he was being carried in the wheelchair back to his car, I approached him. He immediately called out my name and grasped my outstretched hand.

“It’s been some time since I saw you. How are you?” he asked. He then asked about my children.

Most people picture Karpal as a fiery and fierce person. I guess it is a picture that the Tiger of Jelutong cultivated. For a tiger cannot afford to look weak or sound weak.

But I knew him as a gentle person; as someone who could, and would, take an interest in others.

He told me once that he had absolutely no ill-feelings for his political opponents, including former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and former Penang Chief Minister Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu. They were his main political rivals from the time he became an elected representative in 1974.

He said it was part of his work as a politician to criticise them over issues that he felt were wrong or wrongly handled and that it was part of their job to defend themselves or attack him. That was all.

The way he said it, it sounded almost as if it was a game of sorts for them and that they were all aware they were playing certain roles.

For many years, he was a thorn at the side of the late Dr Lim Chong Eu at the Penang Legislative Assembly. But I know for a fact that both of them had a very healthy respect for each other.

Karpal himself once told me: “I like the old man (Dr Lim).”

How did he get the nickname the Tiger of Jelutong? Apparently it came about during an argument between Karpal and another of his favourite political foes Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu. Karpal told Samy Vellu that he could be the lion and he would be the tiger. Karpal was then the MP for Jelutong in Penang, a constituency he served for about 21 years.

They, too, respected each other even though they went for each other’s political jugular frequently. These were, in a sense, gentlemen politicians.

What makes Karpal unique among politicians is that he was ready to criticise his own party stalwarts if he thought what they had said or done was wrong or not in the national interest. He had even taken on DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang. He would do this even though he knew it could be used by the ruling party to damage his party's image.

He was probably the only person to file suits against the sultans, even though he knew the consequences of doing so.

And that is why people see him as a man who stood for his principles. He was no ordinary politician, bending to the will of others or licking their shoes for favours.

How Karpal managed to shine both in politics and law is worth a study by academics. For shine he did. The reason for this was probably his courage and unwavering search for justice.

I have heard lawyers praise his legal mind. I am told that even judges have praised his legal knowledge and ability. For the common man, if the case was tough or if it was politically motivated, then Karpal was the man to turn to. They knew he would fight till the very end.

They saw him as a man who would courageously stand up for them and be their voice in Parliament and elsewhere. And he did not disappoint his constituents. He was a hero to many.

Until he died, the MP for Bukit Gelugor was fighting to build a better Malaysia. He will be missed.

So, Goodbye Mr Karpal Singh, the Tiger of Jelutong, the Towering Malaysian. May you be with God.