The funeral of Malaysia's veteran ethnic-Indian lawyer and lawmaker Karpal Singh, who died in a road accident on Thursday, will be held tomorrow with full state honours.
Singh, 73, who defended opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in his sensational sodomy trial, was killed along with one of his longtime associates when the car they were traveling in rammed into a lorry at the North South Expressway in Kampar town in Perak state.
This is the first time the term 'state honours' has been used to conduct a funeral, said Chow Kon Yeow, chairman of the Penang state unit of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), who is leading the Penang state honours committee.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng is to deliver an eulogy after which will be followed by the state government paying its last respects. After that, political parties and other associations will have their turn to pay their respects, Chow said.
The cortege will make temporary stops at the Penang High Court and in Jalan Green Hall.
Born in Penang to an Indian Punjabi immigrant father, Singh studied law at the University of Singapore and was regarded as Malaysia's top criminal lawyer.
Singh was suspended from parliament numerous times, charged for sedition, and was detained under Malaysia's internal security laws for an year.
His reputation as a lawyer and opposition politician had earned him the nickname "the Tiger of Jelutong".
Jelutong is a town in Penang.
Singh's political career began in 1970 when he joined the DAP. He won a seat in the Kedah State Legislative Assembly in 1974. He was first elected to parliament in 1978 as the representative for Jelutong, Penang, and held the seat for more than 20 years until losing it in 1999.
He returned to parliament after he won in the 2008 general election.
A car accident in 2005 had left Singh partially paralysed and dependent on a wheelchair. Despite this, he continued his legal and political careers.
