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O Death, Where is Thy Sting?
Karpal Singh, Malaysian Member of Parliament [1940 - 2014]

CLIVE KESSLER

 

 

 

The Malaysian state may now,

if it so chooses,

be proud of the fact

[and rejoice forever in the ensuing glory]

that its last official act towards this great man

was to find him guilty

of upholding the principle—

the uncontroversial and incontrovertible principle—

that the rule of law is the rule of law and that constitutional supremacy means exactly that;

and on those grounds,

absurdly and outrageously,

to find him guilty of sedition.

 

Karpal is now dead,

but Malaysia will long have to live

with the punishing cost to itself

of this tainted and unattractively pursued victory.

 

There are worse things in life than death.

Among them is the death of honour --

personal honour

and, even worse, national honour and reputability.

 

Karpal is dead.

but in this context --

a context produced by his government’s action against him --

Karpal has won,

and the Malaysian state,

out of its own folly

and its false and brutal, because power-driven, sense of pride,

has lost.

 

“O death, where is thy sting?” etc.

 

May Karpal’s memory long remain

a blessing and inspiration

to all who care for justice --

and a continuing reproach

to those who live by obstructing it

and frustrating its purposes.

 

 

Clive Kessler is Emeritus Professor of Sociology & Anthropology at The University of New South Wales in Sydney. Throughout the 1970s he taught courses, both undergraduate and postgraduate, about the Southeast Asian world and regional cultural history at Columbia University, New York.

 

[Courtesy: Australian National University - New Mandala.]

April 17, 2014

 

Conversation about this article

1: Sangat Singh  (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), April 17, 2014, 1:35 PM.

"What do I know, how I will die? Or what form of death it'll be ..." [GGS:555.4] Now, Karpal Singh has been called to the court of Waheguru to render account. "What have you earned and what have you lost. Come immediately, you are summoned to His Court" [GGS:792.14]. He was a good man ... May Waheguru bless him.

2: Dya Singh (Melbourne, Australia), April 17, 2014, 6:22 PM.

The tiger is dead. One man who stood up for the rights of all Malaysians as a prominent and longest-serving parliamentary opposition member in Malaysia. He took on the Malaysian government. He took on Malaysian royalty. He was never afraid, even though he was thrown into prison. My deepest condolences to the family.

3: Mal Kaur (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), April 21, 2014, 4:39 AM.

"You knock out one Karpal Singh, a hundred Karpal Singhs will rise ..." Brilliant write up, thank you.

4: Balwant Singh Jakarta (Jakarta, Indonesia), April 23, 2014, 10:38 AM.

Marna sach hai, jeena jhootth hai.

5: Azhar (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), July 03, 2014, 10:26 AM.

He is the greatest son of Malaysia. He lived with great dignity and honour. He defended the rule of law fearlessly. In the face of opposition and danger from the corrupt and powerful government, he stood his ground. He even told the king off. He is the Tiger of Malaysia, was then, is now and forever!

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Karpal Singh, Malaysian Member of Parliament [1940 - 2014]"









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