Lim hails Karpal’s fighting spirit

GEORGE TOWN: Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng paid tribute to Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh today as someone who never gave up even while under detention under the Internal Security Act 1960.
In an eulogy delivered at the Dewan Sri Pinang where the politician and lawyer was laid in state for members of the public to pay their respects, he praised the former DAP national chairman for his fighting spirit in all things.
"You can detain Karpal physically but you can never detain his spirit," he said.
Lim said Karpal's death was a loss to Malaysian society as he was an outstanding lawyer with "the country having lost a fearless 'tiger' who stood up for the weak, defenceless and dispossessed".
He pointed out that Karpal refused to charge for cases of gross injustices be it the case of Parliament Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang or any poor person.
"Throughout his life, Karpal showed us how not to fear the government," he said.
Lim also offered the administration's condolences to Karpal's family, saying that the state government shared in their grief.
"Let us mourn Karpal but at the same time honor him by celebrating his accomplishments and realising his aspirations of justice, integrity and freedom," he said.
The politician died in car crash just after midnight last Thursday in an incident which shocked the entire country.
He was MP for Jelutong from 1978 to 1999 where he earned his nickname "Tiger of Jelutong" as a champion for democracy.
He returned to Parliament after winning the Bukit Gelugor seat in 2008 and managed to defend the seat in the 2013 general election.
The veteran lawyer joined the DAP in 1970 and won a seat in the Kedah state assembly four years later.