By S Rutra | FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: Karpal Singh will be celebrating his 70th birthday tomorrow, and the DAP veteran is not even thinking about retiring from politics. In fact, the renowned lawyer and Bukit Gelugor MP believes that such a notion will literally herald the end for him.

“The day such a thought arises in my mind, that’s it, I might just collapse and that will be the end of me,” he told FMT.

Karpal, who was born on June 28, will be attending a big birthday bash tomorrow in his home state of Penang.

Although a road accident five years ago has left him confined to a wheelchair, the incident, according to Karpal, failed to dent his spirit and mental fortitude.

The silver-manned “Lion of Jelutong” still roars with the same ferocity, striking fear in the hearts of his opponents, who cannot help but nurse a grudging respect for the “Singh is King”.

Karpal had borrowed the phrase “Singh is King” from a Bollywood blockbuster movie when he received live bullets in the mail following his criticism of the Perak Sultan after Barisan Nasional staged a political coup in the state.

However, DAP’s first non-Chinese chairman refused to be rattled, and warned his enemies not to play with fire.

Karpal, who joined DAP in 1970 and contested in an election four years later, vowed to continue serving the people as long as his health permitted him to do so.

“Even if I am held up in Kuala Lumpur on weekdays due to my work, I prefer to return to my hometown during weekends to visit my constituency and meet the people,” he said.

Meanwhile, Karpal also lamented that politicians these days lacked sincerity and commitment, therefore failing to meet the expectations of the people.

“As for me, I will continue to speak up whenever policies or actions of the ruling government or my Pakatan Rakyat compatriots go against the wishes of the people,” he said.

Four out of his five children are lawyers, while his youngest son Karpal Singh Jr, is completing a degree in Actuarial Science in London.

Two other sons Gobind and Jagdeep followed in their father’s footsteps along the political trail to become the Puchong MP and Datuk Keramat state assemblyman respectively.

‘Dad told us he’ll die in the saddle’

Speaking to FMT, Jagdeep said his father always told them that he will “die in the saddle”.

“It’s in his blood, he is so passionate… he is a workaholic and sometimes we wish he had chosen some other profession. But when we see how he carries himself as a MP and lawyer, we accept it and support him,” he added.

When asked if his father has a temper, Jagdeep said: “The entire office can hear his voice when he loses his cool. He is a perfectionist and will not tolerate silly mistakes.”

Karpal’s comrade in arms and equally deserving of a “Lion” title himself, Lim Kit Siang, said his party chairman’s commitment to justice for all Malaysians cannot be questioned.

“He is a legend in Malaysian politics who is fully devoted towards his career (as a lawyer) and politics for the last 40 years. It’s a remarkable achievement,” he said.

Lim added that his only wish is for his friend to recover from his injuries and walk alsongside with him once again.