Kuala Lumpur:
Karpal Singh, a prominent Indian-origin lawyer and lawmaker in Malaysia, has been posthumously conferred with a prestigious public service award in recognition of his contribution to politics and the judiciary.
Mr Singh was posthumously awarded the Public Service Award by the Ghandi Memorial Trust (GMT).
GMT chairman S Radhakrishnan said Karpal had contributed much to the nation in politics, the judiciary, and social activism for the past 40 years before his untimely demise on April 17, The Sun Daily reported.
"His commitment to these principles did not waver despite an accident in 2005 that left him wheelchair-bound," he said during his opening speech.
The award was presented to his family who attended the ceremony. Singh, 73, who had defended opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in his sensational sodomy trial, was killed in a road accident in April.
Mohd Zaid Ibrahim, a former Minister in Prime Minister's office, said that Singh was a fearless lawyer and human rights defender who had contributed much to Malaysian parliamentary democracy.
"His greatest contribution as MP was his push for good governance, and for the government to be responsible to Parliament; he was also suspended many times due to his outspokenness," said Mr Zaid.
Mr Zaid said Karpal often paid a heavy price when doing what he thought was right and that he (Zaid) himself was not spared from Karpal's sharp-tongue during his short stint in the government.
Former Bar Council president S Ambiga said Karpal would be sorely missed, especially now when extremist voices are getting increasingly intolerable.
"This is where we miss Karpal as a statesman, extremism is getting out of control; there is a culture of 'might is right' that needs changing and Karpal will definitely speak up about it," she said.