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The family of the late Karpal Singh expressed shock and pride at the unprecedented crowd that turned up for his funeral in Penang on Sunday.
"The unprecedented crowd came on their own volition, without us asking them to come, in recognition of the passing of a legend.
"We are so proud of that appreciation and recognition for Karpal. Even I was completely shocked by the response of the people,” Jagdeep Singh Deo (left) said at a press conference in Komtar today.
Karpal, who is Jagdeep’s father, and his long-time aide Michael Cornelius Jayakrishnan, 39, were killed in a road accident in the early hours of last Thursday morning, near Kampar in Perak.
On Sunday, more than 15,000 people thronged the city to pay their respects to the late Bukit Gelugor MP at the Dewan Sri Pinang.
In total, state DAP chairperson Chow Kon Yeow estimated, at least 50,000 people attended the former DAP chairperson's three-day wake at his Jalan Utama home, his funeral at the Dewan and the cremation centre at Batu Gantung.
At the press conference today, accompanied by Karpal's widow Gurmit Kaur, son Mankarpal and other members of the family, Jagdeep apologised for any emotional outbursts at the funeral, especially at the cremation centre.
"If we have done anything to upset my media friends, I am sure Karpal certainly did not want that, so I hope you will all understand the circumstances we were in," he said.
Final prayers on Saturday
Jagdeep also extended his appreciation to the media for giving his family privacy during the collection and scattering of Karpal's ashes yesterday.
Karpal's ashes, he said, were scattered at the Straits Quay, off the Northern Channel.
"Since you were all very close to Karpal, let me say that the water at Straits Quay to Greenhall were very, very calm because it was going to take Karpal away," he said.
Jagdeep went on to thank the working committee, led by Chow, who directed and managed Karpal's funeral.
"Thank you (the people) for the sterling performance since Thursday, when we made our way back from Ipoh (after a post-mortem was conducted at the Ipoh Hospital Forensic Department)," Jagdeep said.
He said he wanted to place on record the family's sincere gratitude and profound appreciation to the Penang government for affording Karpal a public funeral with state honours.
He went on to thank all Pakatan Rakyat members, the voluntary patrol unit and those involved in managing and controlling the crowd on Sunday, throughout the journey of the cortege from the family home on Jalan Utama to the Batu Gantung crematorium.
"I am quite sure the team led by Chow (left) also did not expect such a big crowd and we want to thank everybody for their support and help," added Jagdeep, who is a Penang state executive councillor.
Jagdeep also thanked hospital staff in Ipoh and Kampar for their assistance, including the medical staff who tended to Karpal in the nine years he was wheelchair-bound.
The family will hold final prayers on Thursday at the Sikh Temple on Jalan Gurdwara, Penang. The prayers will end at 12.30pm on Saturday, and will be open to members of the public.
