APRIL 21 — The entire nation — from legal eagles to politicians to the common man on the street — mourned the loss of prominent lawyer and DAP stalwart Karpal Singh on Thursday.
Many expressed shock over his passing after he was killed in a road accident at the North-South Expressway, north bound, near Gua Tempurung, Perak at about 1.10am.
They had plenty to say about Karpal, namely what a fine and principled man he was and assured that the roar of the former Jelutong MP, nicknamed the Tiger of Jelutong, would continue to be heard.
While tributes naturally poured in, there were also insensitive and unnecessary remarks hurled at the Bukit Gelugor MP.
Karpal, a father, a husband and a grandfather, had been attacked from the day he was wheelchair-bound following an accident in 2005 up until his demise last week. Unfortunately, these unkind remarks not only affect Karpal alone but also those who have been ridiculed for being disabled or sick.
When these people die, the manner of addressing a dead individual also comes into contention.
Zulkifli Noordin, a man once famed for the “kiss of death” picture prior the 13th general election last year, said Karpal’s passing removes a major obstacle towards implementing hudud law in the country.
He irked many, including Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, with his comments about Karpal on Twitter. Khairy replied Zulkifli by saying: “Shut up. Really shut up.”
Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd chairman Datuk Nawawi Ahmad, who is also Langkawi MP, then said trains are a safer mode of transport following Karpal’s accident and the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
Nawawi’s Facebook posting read: “When driving leads to death, riding a motorcycle leads to accidents, taking a flight leads to disappearance, it is better to take a train, campaign together with KTMB trains”.
He apologised later, taking responsibility for his comments but blaming it on his Facebook administrators.
He also posted a picture of a blood-smeared Karpal in his Toyota Alphard with newspaper articles of Karpal’s opposition of hudud and asked: “Siapa nak sambut cabaran Karpal Singh? Sila bagi nama he he.” (Who wants to challenge Karpal Singh? Please submit your name.)
Nawawi later held a press conference to apologise, saying he removed the posting “when he realised that the post was strongly objected and condemned by the people.”
Are we that shallow? Or are we just eager to say something for the sake of saying it?
Let’s not forget those who seek cheap publicity from the demise of another.
I doubt Karpal’s family had engaged self-proclaimed “Raja Bomoh Sedunia” Ibrahim Mat Zin to “buang puaka” (get rid of evil forces) at Km301.6 — which has been described as a spooky stretch following the number of accidents reported there.
There are so many other things that needs to be done in light of this incident.
The highway authorities need not wait for another prominent figure to die there if it is indeed a danger zone. In fact, Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir had raised his concern of the accident-prone stretch with highway concessionaire Plus Expressway Berhad.
In 2012, Zambry had urged Plus to step up and address the high number of fatal accidents between Km293 and Km310 of the North-South Expressway.
He had suggested immediate action, such as installing cameras to identify the reasons behind these fatal accidents and installing additional lights to illuminate the stretch, be taken by PLUS.
Frequent travellers also claim trailers are usually parked at the side of the road along the area, while those travelling at night claim the area is often darker than usual when it rains.
However, it remains to be seen if the necessary steps have been taken to address those woes.
Sadly, it is always easier to come up with unwarranted remarks than to find solutions for the issues at hand.
*This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
