Tim Donoghue - Karpal Singh : tiger of Jelutong : the full biography

JUNE 1940APRIL 2014

He was a courageous and dedicated human rights defender, and his death marks the loss of an important voice in the struggle for justice and human rights in Malaysia. Amnesty International joins national and international activists in mourning his loss and expresses its deepest condolences to his family.
Amnesty International

He stood tall among the top leading lawyers in the world.
Datuk Param Cumaraswamy, former United Nations special rapporteur and former Bar Council president

Karpal Singh used his keen mind, legal training, and passion for justice to doggedly promote respect for human rights in Malaysia. For decades, he was an unyielding force for the rights of all.
James Ross, legal and policy director, Human Rights Watch

Weve lost a colleague; an indefatigable fighter for justice; d legendary Karpal Singh! Our sincere condolences to d family. RIP. Anwar.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Opposition leader, PKR, in a tweet

In politics, he was an implacable leader; in law, a committed advocate.
Najib Razak, Malaysia Prime Minister

Until the end, Karpal fought for his principles. When he gave his views, he was very candid and it didnt worry if his comments could get him in trouble or offend people.
former Solicitor-General II Datuk Yusof Zainal Abiden

[Karpal] was a very outstanding criminal lawyer, he was one of the most prominent Malaysians that the country has produced. Despite his indisputable legal prominence, he shared his life with the party and was willing to commit himself to opposition politics, which is a very difficult vocation, because he passionately believed in the party, and also basically the people, that the voiceless should be heard, the dispossessed and defenceless should be protected, and the poor should be uplifted. I think that was his passion.
Lim Guan Eng, Penang Chief Minister

I feel the Malaysian Bar has lost a courageous member who stood to defend the Rule of Law at tremendous personal costs. Karpal has left this world but he will never leave our thoughts. His legacy will remain deeply entrenched in the legal and political arena.
Datuk V Sithambaram, lawyer

Despite his towering and larger than life reputation and achievement, he was always respectful, unexpectedly funny, and had time, often late evening, to chat and discuss cases or legal issues with his junior lawyers.
Eric Paulsen, executive director, Lawyers for Liberty

In his days at the Johore Bar, Karpal was most enduring, humble and approachable, as well as soft-spoken, polite and cheerful. It is not quite correct to say that he was aloof and ferocious as a tiger. Rather, he was mild-mannered, cool and calm. The ferocity in the man only erupted like the Merapi if someones rights were trampled upon or if some poor soul was bullied by the powerful. He gave hope to the defenceless, voice to the voiceless, and succour to the meek and the oppressed. He forsook his fees from the impecunious and for whose human rights he fought for. He did so without detriment to himself or to the laws.
S Balarajah, Johore Bar

The Malay proverb of A tiger dies leaving its stripes, a man dies leaving his name is apt for the late Karpal Singh. For one, metaphorically, the Tiger of Jelutong has left behind his stripes; secondly, in reality, he leaves behind a great name as a politician who is respected by both his allies and enemies alike. It is rare for one to be able to fill this proverb metaphorically and in reality, and it is as such this shows the greatness of the one who has departed us.
Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa, PAS (Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party) member and MP for Parit Buntar

There are few who would dare to fight from a position of nothing and yet Karpal Singh did it knowing that he had all the odds stacked against him. He stood firmly for justice and the truth. He was prepared to speak out for what he believed in against a greater authority in many instances of legal confrontations in his career.
KK Wong, Malaysian Insider reader

He proved that realising aspirations is not about how far you can go, but how far you are willing to go. He makes a sheer mockery of what we call struggles, as however much sympathy we give to him for the pain he has to go through, he channelled the sympathy right away to the defendants he had to represent at the dock of a criminal court.
James Chai

He was a humble and very down-to-earth leader despite his position.
Tan Bak Chooi, owner of Ju Huat coffee shop where Karpal used to hold his press conferences in Penang

I have deep scepticism to politics revolving around personality. But in times when our institutions can disappoint us, failing to check the powers that be and worsening the excesses of power, personalities like Karpal Singh can do a lot of good.
Hafiz Nor Shams

Equality, social justice and the rule of law are just some of the many things he stood for, unflinching in his principles. Some might not have known the gentleman, but he had set a benchmark of which many would intend to follow.
Jay Jay Dennis, law student

The battles he had fought and the sacrifices that he had made for the downtrodden Malaysians must be remembered. He spoke with reason and not emotions as some cheap politicians do.
Ravinder Singh

Karpal Singh, who died in a car accident in the early hours of April 17th at the age of 73, was a rarity in the venomous world of Malaysian politics: a man respected by many of his opponents as well as those on his own side.
Obituary by The Economist

Malaysia has lost a man of principle and a defender of justice.
Harakah Daily

2014 Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited
Text Tim Donoghue

Photographs courtesy of Tim Donoghue and Karpal Singh unless otherwise stated. Photograph of Karpal Singh and Tim Donoghue on inside back cover courtesy of Jeremy Teo. Cover and design by Benson Tan.

Published in 2014 by Marshall Cavendish Editions
An imprint of Marshall Cavendish International, 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196 Reprinted 2014

First published 2013 as Karpal Singh: Tiger of Jelutong

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Tributes on pages iiv have been compiled from the open domain.

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