HISTORY | Karpal Singh - staunch defender of the Constitution

HISTORY: TOLD AS IT IS | Karpal Singh Deo, an outstanding lawyer and a fiery politician, is widely admired as a patriotic Malaysian, an outspoken member of Parliament, a staunch human rights activist, and a strong defender of the Federal Constitution.

He has contributed immensely in strengthening Malaysia’s democratic institutions, upholding the rule of law, and defending the interests of the weak and downtrodden.

Karpal was born on June 28, 1940 in George Town, Penang. He attended St Xavier’s primary and secondary schools and thereafter completed his Bachelor of Laws at the University of Singapore in 1968. Karpal was called to the Bar at the High Court of Malaya in Penang on Jan 15, 1969.

He started work in a legal firm in Alor Setar, Kedah and subsequently established his own legal firm, Karpal Singh & Co in 1970. Within a short span of time, Karpal established himself as a leading litigator specialising in criminal law and constitutional law.

Karpal entered politics in 1970 when he joined the DAP. In 1974, he was elected to the Kedah State Legislative Assembly after winning the Alor Setar Bandar state seat. Four years later, Karpal was elected to Parliament as the representative for Jelutong, Penang, and held the seat for 21 years until losing it in 1999. Nonetheless, he returned to Parliament in the next 2004 general election by winning the Bukit Gelugor seat and helped spearhead the DAP to its best-ever performance in the 2008 general election.

Despite being paralysed from the waist down due to a car accident in January 2005, Karpal persevered with incredible courage and gusto in his legal and political endeavours to fight for justice and the rule of law and speak up fearlessly for disadvantaged Malaysians. He died on April 17, 2014 in an automobile accident on the North-South Highway near Gua Tempurung in Perak. As a testimony of his popularity, tens of thousands of mourners attended his funeral held three days later.

Both in the courtroom and Parliament, Karpal Singh fought like a lion to defend the issues close to his heart. Hence, it’s not surprising that he was suspended from Parliament several times, charged with sedition, and detained for 457 days in 1987-89 under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

He was convicted and fined RM4,000 on March 11, 2014 for what was regarded as seditious remarks...