source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karpal_Singh
Karpal Singh s/o Ram Singh, known simply as Karpal Singh (Punjabi: ਕਰ੍ਪਲ੍ ਸਿੰਘ; born 28 June 1940) is a Malaysian lawyer and politician, who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for the neighbourhood of Bukit Gelugor in the state of Penang since 2004. He is the current National Chairman of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a position he assumed in 2004. He was first elected to parliament in 1978 as the representative for Jelutong, Penang, and held the seat for more than 20 years until 1999.
Karpal is one of Malaysia's most famous lawyers, and has taken up numerous high-profile cases, including drug trafficking charges against foreign nationals, and sodomy accusations against former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim. He is a staunch opponent of the death penalty, especially in relation to drug trafficking offences. Shifting between courtrooms and parliament, he is known as a fiery debater, which has gotten him into trouble with authorities on occasion. He has been suspended from parliament numerous times and has been detained under Malaysia's internal security laws. His reputation as a lawyer and opposition politician has earned him the nickname "the Tiger of Jelutong".
A motor vehicle accident in 2005 has since left Karpal using a wheelchair and with neuromotor problems in his right arm. Despite this, he has continued his legal and political careers. In the 2008 general election, he led the DAP to their strongest ever performance in the polls.
Born in Georgetown, Penang, Karpal Singh was the son of watchman and part-time herdsman Ram Singh.[1] His father had moved from Amritsar, India to Penang in 1921. Karpal studied at St. Xavier's Institution.[2][3] He met his wife, Gurmit Kaur, while herding his father's cows.[1]
He obtained his Bachelor of Laws from the University of Singapore.[1] During his time there, he also served as president of the student's union. He was barred from the hostel for protesting against the university's decision to mandate the "certificate of political suitability" for enrolling students.[2] Karpal took seven years to graduate.[1]
Karpal Singh was called to the Penang bar in 1969 and joined a firm in Alor Setar, Kedah.[2][3] He started his legal firm, Messrs Karpal Singh & Co., in 1970 and is well-known for his expertise in the field of litigation.[4][5][6] Karpal has been praised for "defending the little man"[3] and called "a friend to the oppressed and marginalised."[7] Professor of Law at Universiti Teknologi MARA, Dr. Shad Saleem Faruqi has praised Karpal's legal team for their innovative interpretations which has helped people with difficult cases.[7]
Among his most high-profile cases include defending Australian drug trafficker Kevin Barlow who was executed in Malaysia in 1986.[8] Barlow and fellow Australia Brian Chambers were convicted of trafficking heroin by the High Court in Penang in July 1985.[9] He continued to fight to clear Barlow's name even after the execution.[10] He also defended New Zealanders Lorraine Cohen and her son, Aaron, against heroin trafficking charges in 1987.[11] They were both convicted, with Mrs Cohen sentenced to death and Aaron sentenced to life in prison. However, the death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 1989 and they were subsequently pardoned and freed in 1996.[12] In 1977, he managed to persuade the king to pardon a 14-year old Chinese boy sentenced to death for possession of a firearm under the Internal Security Act, apparently by suggesting that to let the boy hang would be "politically explosive."[3]
He has been described as a leading opponent of the death penalty in Malaysia,[13] and has successfully defended at least ten foreigners on serious drug charges which carry a mandatory death sentence.[3] Nonetheless, in July 2010, he called for convicted child rapists to be sentenced to death.[14]
Karpal also represented former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during the latter's sodomy trial of 1998.[15] During the first trial in September 1999, he produced a pathological report confirming high levels of arsenic had been detected in Anwar's body, and accused the authorities of poisoning Anwar, charging:[13]
Karpal Singh is a member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP). He is a controversial figure, and has been labelled along with fellow DAP politician Lim Kit Siang as a racial provocateur.[18] Karpal has also been dubbed the "Tiger of Jelutong" for his abrasive approach to politics.[19]
Karpal Singh joined the DAP in 1970, citing the party's multiracial stance following the race riots in 1969.[1][20] He was due to contest the 1974 general election in Penang, but withdrew after his father's death. However, following the persuasion of DAP national organising secretary Fan Yew Teng, Karpal ran for the Alor Setar parliamentary seat and Alor Setar Bandar state seat.[1] He won the state seat and became the first DAP candidate to stand for and win a seat in Kedah.[21]
In the 1978 general elections, Karpal won the Jelutong parliamentary seat and the Bukit Gelugor state seat. He held the Bukit Gelugor state seat until 1990, moving on to contest (but lose) the Sungai Pinang and Padang Kota seats in subsequent elections.
Karpal Singh has cited Mahatma Gandhi and John F. Kennedy as influences. The May 13 incident convinced him that Malaysia needed to take a multiracial course, hence he joined the DAP. Karpal has also commended the first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman for promoting racial unity.[1]
He strongly criticised the legal immunity granted to the hereditary Malay rulers in the original constitution, which was subsequently removed by the government in 1993.[3][45]
He is a firm critic of Mahathir Mohamad's term as prime minister. "Political life is not what it used to be in Malaysia," he commented in 1993, specifically criticising the restriction on media coverage of the opposition.[3] He has called for Mahathir to apologise for the latter's role in the 1988 constitutional crisis.[46]
Karpal is also staunchly opposed to the notion of Malaysia as an Islamic state, arguing that the Constitution provides for a secular nation, with Islam as the official religion. He has been at loggerheads with Mahathir as well as fellow opposition party PAS over the issue.[47] Karpal even once said "an Islamic state over my dead body" regarding the debate during a political speech which has led to him being portrayed as an enemy of Islam.[1] He claims to have apologised for the matter.[48]
He was one of the strongest opponents of PAS's plan to introduce hudud (Islamic codes of behaviour) into the Terengganu state legal system in 1999, even threatening to take the state government to court.[49]
Karpal Singh married Gurmit Kaur, eight years his junior, in July 1970. Gurmit's family was from Narathiwat, Thailand but moved to Penang when she was seven.[1][4] They have five children and four grandchildren.[4] His eldest son, Jagdeep is the Penang State Assemblyman for Datuk Keramat and second son, Gobind is the Member of Parliament for Puchong, Selangor. Another son, Ramkarpal and daughter Sangeet Kaur work in his law firm, while youngest son Man Karpal studied actuarial science.[1]
His wife Gurmit described his detention from 1987 to 1989 as a "very big experience" and took a toll on her life, as she had to "be strong" for their young children.[7] The initial stage of his disability also deeply upset her, but she again stayed strong and helped the family cope.[4]
He and his wife have lived in Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur since 1994.[4]
Karpal Singh s/o Ram Singh, known simply as Karpal Singh (Punjabi: ਕਰ੍ਪਲ੍ ਸਿੰਘ; born 28 June 1940) is a Malaysian lawyer and politician, who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for the neighbourhood of Bukit Gelugor in the state of Penang since 2004. He is the current National Chairman of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a position he assumed in 2004. He was first elected to parliament in 1978 as the representative for Jelutong, Penang, and held the seat for more than 20 years until 1999.
Karpal is one of Malaysia's most famous lawyers, and has taken up numerous high-profile cases, including drug trafficking charges against foreign nationals, and sodomy accusations against former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim. He is a staunch opponent of the death penalty, especially in relation to drug trafficking offences. Shifting between courtrooms and parliament, he is known as a fiery debater, which has gotten him into trouble with authorities on occasion. He has been suspended from parliament numerous times and has been detained under Malaysia's internal security laws. His reputation as a lawyer and opposition politician has earned him the nickname "the Tiger of Jelutong".
A motor vehicle accident in 2005 has since left Karpal using a wheelchair and with neuromotor problems in his right arm. Despite this, he has continued his legal and political careers. In the 2008 general election, he led the DAP to their strongest ever performance in the polls.
Born in Georgetown, Penang, Karpal Singh was the son of watchman and part-time herdsman Ram Singh.[1] His father had moved from Amritsar, India to Penang in 1921. Karpal studied at St. Xavier's Institution.[2][3] He met his wife, Gurmit Kaur, while herding his father's cows.[1]
He obtained his Bachelor of Laws from the University of Singapore.[1] During his time there, he also served as president of the student's union. He was barred from the hostel for protesting against the university's decision to mandate the "certificate of political suitability" for enrolling students.[2] Karpal took seven years to graduate.[1]
Karpal Singh was called to the Penang bar in 1969 and joined a firm in Alor Setar, Kedah.[2][3] He started his legal firm, Messrs Karpal Singh & Co., in 1970 and is well-known for his expertise in the field of litigation.[4][5][6] Karpal has been praised for "defending the little man"[3] and called "a friend to the oppressed and marginalised."[7] Professor of Law at Universiti Teknologi MARA, Dr. Shad Saleem Faruqi has praised Karpal's legal team for their innovative interpretations which has helped people with difficult cases.[7]
Among his most high-profile cases include defending Australian drug trafficker Kevin Barlow who was executed in Malaysia in 1986.[8] Barlow and fellow Australia Brian Chambers were convicted of trafficking heroin by the High Court in Penang in July 1985.[9] He continued to fight to clear Barlow's name even after the execution.[10] He also defended New Zealanders Lorraine Cohen and her son, Aaron, against heroin trafficking charges in 1987.[11] They were both convicted, with Mrs Cohen sentenced to death and Aaron sentenced to life in prison. However, the death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 1989 and they were subsequently pardoned and freed in 1996.[12] In 1977, he managed to persuade the king to pardon a 14-year old Chinese boy sentenced to death for possession of a firearm under the Internal Security Act, apparently by suggesting that to let the boy hang would be "politically explosive."[3]
He has been described as a leading opponent of the death penalty in Malaysia,[13] and has successfully defended at least ten foreigners on serious drug charges which carry a mandatory death sentence.[3] Nonetheless, in July 2010, he called for convicted child rapists to be sentenced to death.[14]
Karpal also represented former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during the latter's sodomy trial of 1998.[15] During the first trial in September 1999, he produced a pathological report confirming high levels of arsenic had been detected in Anwar's body, and accused the authorities of poisoning Anwar, charging:[13]
This accusation in court led to Karpal being charged under the Sedition Act in January 2000 (see below).[16] Karpal is acting as the defence's lead counsel in Anwar's second sodomy trial, following fresh allegations in 2008.[17]"It could well be that someone out there wants to get rid of him ... even to the extent of murder...I suspect people in high places are responsible for this situation."
Karpal Singh is a member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP). He is a controversial figure, and has been labelled along with fellow DAP politician Lim Kit Siang as a racial provocateur.[18] Karpal has also been dubbed the "Tiger of Jelutong" for his abrasive approach to politics.[19]
Karpal Singh joined the DAP in 1970, citing the party's multiracial stance following the race riots in 1969.[1][20] He was due to contest the 1974 general election in Penang, but withdrew after his father's death. However, following the persuasion of DAP national organising secretary Fan Yew Teng, Karpal ran for the Alor Setar parliamentary seat and Alor Setar Bandar state seat.[1] He won the state seat and became the first DAP candidate to stand for and win a seat in Kedah.[21]
In the 1978 general elections, Karpal won the Jelutong parliamentary seat and the Bukit Gelugor state seat. He held the Bukit Gelugor state seat until 1990, moving on to contest (but lose) the Sungai Pinang and Padang Kota seats in subsequent elections.
Karpal Singh has cited Mahatma Gandhi and John F. Kennedy as influences. The May 13 incident convinced him that Malaysia needed to take a multiracial course, hence he joined the DAP. Karpal has also commended the first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman for promoting racial unity.[1]
He strongly criticised the legal immunity granted to the hereditary Malay rulers in the original constitution, which was subsequently removed by the government in 1993.[3][45]
He is a firm critic of Mahathir Mohamad's term as prime minister. "Political life is not what it used to be in Malaysia," he commented in 1993, specifically criticising the restriction on media coverage of the opposition.[3] He has called for Mahathir to apologise for the latter's role in the 1988 constitutional crisis.[46]
Karpal is also staunchly opposed to the notion of Malaysia as an Islamic state, arguing that the Constitution provides for a secular nation, with Islam as the official religion. He has been at loggerheads with Mahathir as well as fellow opposition party PAS over the issue.[47] Karpal even once said "an Islamic state over my dead body" regarding the debate during a political speech which has led to him being portrayed as an enemy of Islam.[1] He claims to have apologised for the matter.[48]
He was one of the strongest opponents of PAS's plan to introduce hudud (Islamic codes of behaviour) into the Terengganu state legal system in 1999, even threatening to take the state government to court.[49]
Karpal Singh married Gurmit Kaur, eight years his junior, in July 1970. Gurmit's family was from Narathiwat, Thailand but moved to Penang when she was seven.[1][4] They have five children and four grandchildren.[4] His eldest son, Jagdeep is the Penang State Assemblyman for Datuk Keramat and second son, Gobind is the Member of Parliament for Puchong, Selangor. Another son, Ramkarpal and daughter Sangeet Kaur work in his law firm, while youngest son Man Karpal studied actuarial science.[1]
His wife Gurmit described his detention from 1987 to 1989 as a "very big experience" and took a toll on her life, as she had to "be strong" for their young children.[7] The initial stage of his disability also deeply upset her, but she again stayed strong and helped the family cope.[4]
He and his wife have lived in Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur since 1994.[4]
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