Gurmit Kaur Deo
Karpal Singh & Co
Kuala Lumpur (MALAYSIA)
Ancestry
Amritsar (Punjab)
Birthplace
Narathiwat (Thailand)
Residence
Penang (MALAYSIA)
The Iron Lady
She is the wife of a former Member of the Malaysian Parliament but what makes her special is her strong bond with her husband. Her’s is a story of love and loss.
Little does the world know this, but my husband has been a big reason I smile throughout my life. The story of my life can neither begin nor end without him. Had it not been for him, perhaps I would not have had a life as privileged as I have today. I am so thankful to Guruji for bringing him into my life.
Karpal and I got married in 1970, but our story – or let us say our story of love – had started long back when we were kids. We both were neighbours. I was eight when he first saw me in Thean Teik, then the backwaters in Penang. He was helping his father herd cattle and liked me instantly. But I was clueless. I was a regular girl, busy growing up, attending school and living a normal life like every other girl. My friends often told me that there was a Sikh boy who stole looks at me. I didn’t believe them until one day he picked up courage to talk to me after he had gone to Law School in Singapore. The best thing about Karpal was that he never approached me until I had finished my Form Five (O-Levels). It impressed me and we became friends. Later, he sought my parents’ permission to visit me regularly and to marry me someday. My parents were happy to give us their blessings. Thereafter, whenever he was home during vacations, we would spend as much time together as we could. Through the year as I did my A-Levels, we would meet for coffee, exchange gifts. I love to think now that we were THE IDEAL COUPLE! The Penang library was often our dating spot. This continued until Karpal graduated in 1968 and we had a registered marriage on 30 July 1970.
As if we were destined to be one
I was born to Puran Kaur and Sohan Singh Gill in 1948 in the southern Thai province of Narathiwat, Thailand. My parents had migrated there during the 1930s from Punjab, India. Among 13 siblings, I was number nine. Our family moved to Malaysia when I was seven.
Karpal was born in 1940 in Georgetown, Malaysia. The turbulence and devastation of World War II and the brutalities of the occupying Japanese forces unleashed on the local populace, was a regular baptism of fire and blood. Although Karpal and I did not know one another then, yet I can say that the times were hard for both our families.
We moved to Malaysia in the 1950s for better education, but things were still not that easy. Although we desperately wanted to make up for all the lost time of our education, we soon realised it was not going to be all that easy. During the rains, the school roofs would leak and the dirty floor would become slushy. Nevertheless, it was a good feeling to start. Of course, the teacher would keep telling us we had to make up for lost time by studying extra hard. Karpal had to gather fodder for the cattle and help in milking and feeding them. This was our daily routine. Our families had kept cows to make sure we all had milk, yoghurt and butter in our regular diet. All these household chores after school meant we had extra responsibilities. We didn’t have electricity supply, yet we continued our studies even in the dark under small lamps. Karpal, especially, always made it a point to keep abreast with all that was taught. He was particularly interested in History and English. His parents wanted him to be a doctor but he chose to study Law. The rest is all history!
In 1969, Karpal was called to the bar and started a law firm, Karpal Singh & Co. He also joined the Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party (DAP) in 1970. One of his biggest achievements was his successful defence of a former Deputy Prime Minister on two sodomy charges. He also handled over 100 death penalty cases successfully. He was a pioneer in drug trafficking and habeas corpus cases, and opposed the death penalty. He also played an active role as the Assistant Secretary of the student’s union at the University of Singapore and President of the Hostel association.
With him, life was so beautiful
While Karpal worked hard as a lawyer, I tried my best in adjusting in the new family that, no doubt, was very loving and caring. Karpal’s father, Sardar Ram Singh Deo, and his mother, Mata Kartar Kaur, had come to Penang in the 1920s from a small village in Punjab, India. They had nine children.
No matter how busy Karpal was, he made sure to give time to his family. I remember often cooking both Punjabi and Thai cuisine for him. He loved my cooking. Life was going smoothly until Karpal’s father died in a road accident in Amritsar in 1974. His father’s passing disturbed him a lot. His Party’s Central Committee had nominated him as a candidate for the general election, but he was unsure. When he discussed it with me, I reminded him of Baba Deep Singh ji, a brave Sikh martyr and scholar who never bowed to enemies and fought till the end. It somehow motivated Karpal and he agreed to go ahead.
Politics is a difficult but important game for a positive change
In 1974, he got involved deeply in state and federal politics. In the same year, he stood for a state seat in the General Elections for the first time and won. In 1978, he contested the Jelutong Parliamentary seat and the Bukit Gelugor state seat and won both. He retained both seats. He contested there again in 1982 and won again. In 1986, he retained both seats again. He was detained in 1987 under Internal Security Act (ISA). He was in prison for more than a year. It was painful to watch him like that but I could do nothing except cry and pray. My kids were young and it took a toll on all of us, yet I had to be strong for the kids.
In 2005, he met with a nasty accident – it left him disabled. This accident totally crushed me to bits. We were devastated as he became wheelchair bound. There were times when I was so overwhelmed with frustration and misery that I got into my car and just drove around, crying all the way. How I wished to see him walk again. He was my life, after all. He was a fighter and once again he bounced back to his profession and politics. In his wheelchair, he went to courts and he also campaigned during General Election 2008 and won.
You knock out one Karpal and a hundred Karpals will rise
The darkest day of my life is 17 April 2014, a date I cannot forget. Karpal met with an accident that took away his life. I was completely shattered. My life completely changed. Thousands of mourning supporters and admirers from all walks of life lined up the streets of Penang to pay their respect and bid him farewell.
It has been five years since he left us. Life has never been and will never be the same. Now I see him in my children. My five children and 12 grandchildren are my life now. Our eldest son, Jagdeep, is the Penang State Assemblyman for Datok Keramat. My second son, Gobind, is the current Minister of Communications and Multimedia and the Member of Parliament for Puchong, Selangor. Our third son, Ramkarpal, succeeded my husband as the MP for Bukit Gelugor after his death. Our daughter, Sangeet, works in our law firm and our youngest son, Mankarpal, has studied Actuarial Science.
Philosophy
Always remember the two Ts of life: Truth and trust.
I love…
Cooking Indian and Thai food. loved it!
Success
Your values take you places. Never leave them.
I’d suggest the youth…
To be honest, and stand for what is right, no matter what the consequences are.
The world doesn’t know that…
When Karpal was detained in 1987 under ISA, he sent birthday cards from the prison to all of us, each card having a hand-drawn picture and story.
AKA
Gurmit Kaur Deo Karpal Singh & Co | Legal professional Gurmit Kaur Deo Malaysia
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ISBN : 9788193397695