When the DAP flags waved proudly in the air, when the resounding chant "Karpal Singh, Karpal Singh, Karpal Singh" filled the streets of Penang, when I joint ten thousands Malaysians to walk his last journey, I knew that our beloved DAP chairman has fought a good fight.
Mr Karpal Singh has proven in his life that fighting for what is right, sometimes stubbornly so, is always the right thing to do. He has taught usthat only truth and justice may stand the test of time, and at the end of the day, these are all that matter.
Today we mourn his passing. He has left us at a time when there is still so much to do - so much injustice to remedy, so many violations to human rights to correct and so much abuse of power to stop. The Tiger of Jelutong has left us a moral standard so high to match, a void so huge to fill and a dream so difficult to achieve. But we must carry on.
“The fight goes on. You knock out one Karpal Singh, a hundred Karpal Singhs will rise,” he said last month. Today the Tiger of Jelutong has rested. Young politicians, young lawyers and young Malaysians must rise up to be a part of the one hundred Tigers of Jelutong to fill the vacuum. We must rise to the occasion, to continue his legacy.
We must not allow personal comfort, money and power or odds and obstacles to stray us from speaking up for what is right, upholding justice and preserving the rule of law.
When we want to compromise, let us be reminded of his unwavering spirit of justice even under the Internal Security Act detention or charged under the Sedition Act. When we want to give up fighting for the betterment of the country, let us be reminded that even when he was disabled after the 2005 accident, he continued to fight despite the excruciating pain in his body.
We may not be as eloquent as him, we may not be as fearless as him, we may be so small that we can't possibly fill the void he has left, but I know this, when all of us come together to march on with great determination, his unfulfilled dream for Malaysia will one day come true.
Rest in peace, Mr. Chairman. You and your principles will always be remembered in our struggles. The one hundred Tigers of Jelutong will continue to roar in every corner of Malaysia to uphold justice and to safeguard the democracy of this land.
We may not be as eloquent as him, we may not be as fearless as him, we may be so small that we can't possibly fill the void he has left, but I know this, when all of us come together to march on with great determination, his unfulfilled dream for Malaysia will one day come true.
Rest in peace, Mr. Chairman. You and your principles will always be remembered in our struggles. The one hundred Tigers of Jelutong will continue to roar in every corner of Malaysia to uphold justice and to safeguard the democracy of this land.
Jangan main-main.
