The “Tiger of Jelutong”, the late Datuk Seri Utama Karpal Singh was enshrined in the history books of the St Xavier’s Institution (SXI) when a new hall was named after him.
The unveiling ceremony was carried out by Datin Seri Utama Gurmit Kaur and Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow who despite being on leave, made it a point to attend the ceremony.
They were joined by family members led by Penang State Exco for Housing, Local Government, Town & Country Planning, Jagdeep Singh Deo, Member of Parliament for Bukit Gelugor, Ramkarpal Singh and family members.
Also present was Madam Belindar Bhar, Rt. Rev. Dato’ Seri Sebastian Francis, Bishop of Penang Diocese, Mdm. Sangeet Kaur Deo, ManKarpal Singh Deo, Rev Brother Jason Blakie, Brother Director of St. Xavier’s Institution, Dato’ Rev. Brother Anthony Rogers, Victor Tan Seang Hin, Chairman of the Board of Governors, St. Xavier’s Institution, Goh Hong Peng, Principal of St. Xavier’s Institution, Dato’ Khoo Khay Seang, Chairman of the Old Xaverian Association, members of the Board of Governors, St. Xavier’s Institution and committee members & members of the Old Xaverian Association.
“The late Saudara Karpal Singh was molded from SXI where he learned the importance of abiding to principles and values. Such a value system and a belief in doing the right thing no matter what the odds are, will stand him in good stead as Saudara Karpal practiced law and answered the calling of public service later on in life.
“Saudara Karpal’s foray into politics was not without its ups and downs. He was held in high esteem as a long-serving MP of 21 years for Jelutong and he had suffered defeat in the 1999 general election but despite the highs and lows of his political life, one thing for sure, he never backed down from a good fight in defending our Constitution and the secularism it defines of our country. Even towards the end of his life, he remained steadfast as the moral guardian of the DAP and upheld the true conscience of the two-party system in our national politics. That is the Karpal Singh we will always remember deep in our hearts,” said Chow.
He also announced a contribution of RM50,000 to the school which will be celebrating its 170th anniversary next year.
“I am also glad that this new hall named in honour of my comrade Saudara Karpal will be used to host small events and musicals. Most importantly, it is an effective way of commemorating Saudara Karpal’s fighting spirit and sense of justice. Memories of him will live on in perpetuity and serve as a reminder to future generations of Xaverians to emulate him and what he stood for.
“This year, we allocated RM834,000 to the 19 mission schools in the state. It remains the objective of the state government that our mission schools will be well-equipped and remain competitive as well as be the training ground for Penang’s future talents not only in the economic sense,” added Chow.
Jagdeep in his address thanked SXI for naming the hall under his father’s name and also the chief minister for attending despite being on leave.
“This is a great honour for the whole family and remembrance,” he said.
Ms Gurmit added that SXI groomed the late Karpal into who he became and the school was close to his heart.
