COMMENT In life, he wasn’t really a unifying figure: his politics were little too partisan for him to be the glue that could have helped hold things together in our diverse society.

In death, however, he drew respect from all shades of the political spectrum; even a vulgarian like Zulkifli Nordin was compelled to retract his bigoted reflexes.

At life’s close, Karpal Singh not only commanded the admiration of legions of his admirers and supporters but also the doffed hats of adversaries.