Friends, politicians mourn loss of hardworking, principled MP

 

Former PKR MP M Karupaiya died earlier today of a heart disease.

GEORGE TOWN: Politicians across the divide paid tribute to former PKR MP M Karupaiya who died earlier today of a heart disease, hailing him as a representative who had championed the plight of veterans.

PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, in a series of tweets, said that the party had lost a fighter who diligently fought for the rakyat.

Karupaiya, he said, was a committed MP who had a stellar record as a warrant officer of the Malaysian Armed Forces.

“He also consistently raised the plight and concerns of veterans,” said Anwar.

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Amanah vice-president Mahfuz Omar described Karupaiya as a principled man who was always punctual for parliamentary sittings.

“He did not believe in ‘gaji buta’,” he said, in reference to Karupaiya’s attendance at Dewan Rakyat sittings, especially when compared to other MPs who would skip the sessions.

“And this is something I shall always remember.”

Penang PKR deputy chief Bakhtiar Wan Chik said he would miss Karupaiya “dearly” as he was a very active MP.

“He would ask questions in Dewan Rakyat and fought for the rights of army veterans,” he said.

MIC Youth chief Sivarraajh Chandran, who is contesting the Padang Serai seat for Barisan Nasional, described Karupaiya’s passing as a “loss for the Padang Serai community”.

K Simon Murali, who was Karupaiya’s lawyer, said his client served in the army engineering corps in the 1970s and 1980s, where he helped to build bridges as well as tracked and dismantled booby traps laid by the communists.

After he retired, Karupaiya set up a logistics company, Direct Express, which became one of the top logistics and transportation companies in Malaysia.

“He was a self-made millionaire but he was always humble and unassuming. He worked hard for his constituency,” Simon said. - FMT