Dear brothers & sisters, distinguished guests and fellow Malaysians,
In the spirit of brotherhood and comradeship, we gathered here at this solemn ceremony to pay respect and tribute to Sdr Karpal Singh.
According to Shakespeare, Brutus did not have to praise Caesar. Neither do I and neither does my party need to praise the late Mr Karpal Singh. The gigantic crowd at his funeral and during the wake have spoken more loudly & eloquently than anything else that any of us have to say at this solemn gathering this evening. It is my firm belief that even the late Karpal have left us but he will live forever in our hearts.
Ladies & Gentlemen, it is accurately fitting that for a memorial ceremony be held in Perak. One of Karpal’s bravest acts was to speak out on behalf of the people of Perak on their right to democracy after the coup de ta in 2009 by BN and had to pay a big price for that when he was convicted of sedition.
Dear friends, as what Mr Karpal had said, “you may bring down one Karpal, but one hundred Karpal will rise up”. We can best help perpetuate Karpal’s memory by working towards the repeal of the law of sedition. Not as someone have suggested that a pardon be sought; banish the thought!
Kawan-kawan, Let me at once remind all our friends here today that from the start of his legal and political career, Karpal has upheld the principle of democracy and the rule of law. He fought untiredlessly for justice, freedom, democracy and equality in a remarkable career which exceeds five decades.
Kawan-kawan, I have no doubt that legal historians will vindicate Karpal Singh’s reputation by saying that his remarks about suing the Sultan of Perak were not seditious and within his rights as a Malaysian under the constitution. Throughout his career, Karpal had been in controversy & surrounded by controversy. For the right reasons, he is always on the side of the right and for the right people.
Karpal was taken away suddenly, but he has lived 74 good years. His achievements are numerous as much as they are momentous. When we mourn over his untimely passing, we shall also celebrate his achievements. Karpal Singh, a celebrated personality, larger than life, death shall not diminish him. Neither will the people of Perak and Malaysia forget him and all his has done in the political arena and in the courtroom.
Kawan2, Because I am of a different generation from Karpal, I am able to have a more distant but more settled perspective of his many great accomplishments, be they political, legal or social. To me and my party, we shall continue Karpal’s unfinished mission. His whole political and legal career has been a long struggle to curb the excesses and misdemeanours of UMNO and its allies in the BN. We should hold the flag high to continue his struggle against corruption, anti corruption and toppling the corrupt regime. This was the motto of Karpal’s life and career. Today the struggle against the BN continues and I wish to warn the corrupt regime : JANGAN MAIN-MAIN.
Kawan-kawan, Karpal sees through UMNO’s self interest and hypocrisy better than many of us. Every opportunity he had as a lawyer and a stateman was to publicly expose the misdeeds and the personalities involved. No one was spared, no matter how high or mighty. For Karpal, only truth and the rule of law shall triumph.
Karpal was, like many senior colleagues of his in the DAP like Kit Siang, were detained during the infamous operasi Lalang in 1988, a detention without trial and he was also persecuted many times in court. All kind of pressures have been put against him. I still remember the times he was ordered out of Penang Assembly as well as the parliament, but he continues to fight & soldier on.
Our nation needs healing and Karpal’s untimely death is a reminder to us that a task of nation building is not finished. We must show our grave concern about what is the state that we are after more than half a century of misrule by BN, Najib and his predecessors. We are now in a more hopeless state compared to the independence day in 1957 in so far as race relations are concern. We hope now, that Pakatan Rakyat, be that PAS, DAP & PKR will together carry the hope of the people and be able to create a happy state of affairs. The healing of our nation will take time. Fractured and damaged by the racism and communalism practiced, engineered, fine tune and orchestrated by BN. Efforts to bridge the divisions created by BN must now be enhanced before it is too late.
Each of us must try to be like Karpal Singh and all we have to do is to follow Karpal’s formula : Be Sincere, Be Humble and Be courageous. Karpal’s passing should energise right thinking Malaysians to come together to heal the state of Malaysia. Long Live, Karpal Singh! Long Live Karpal Singh! Long Live Karpal Singh!