Rudyard Kipling"
āWhen you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldierā
General Douglas MacArthur"
āWe are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.ā
āIt is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.ā āOld soldiers never die; they just fade away.
āThe soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.ā
āMay God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .ā āThe object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
āNobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
āIt is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Now even the rodents have exposed the extent of the rot in Malaysia
Thursday, October 10, 2013
By J. D. Lovrenciear It looks like not only the clear thinking rakyat but even the rodents are in agreement with the Auditor General's expose of the extent of the rot in the country.
The Star newspaper report (9 October, 2013, page 7) about an invasion of rats at the Universiti Sains Malaysia in Kota Baru truly stinks to high heavens.
The rats, urine and nests conquering a hospital premise is but just the tip of the iceberg. In actual fact it exposes a deep seated and extensive actual state of rot in attitudes and mindsets amongst Malaysians.
A deputy Minister was reported as saying that he is āshockedā on learning of the rodent invasion in a hospital of all places. Well it certainly looks like that the recent Auditor Generalās Report on the state of nationwide mismanagement, wastage and losses to the tune of millions of Ringgit has not been shocking after all!
According to eye witness reports (from staff of the hospital), the ārats and miceā are on ābeds and practically everywhere in the wardsā. One then wonders are we well into the dark ages already.
How on earth could this rat menace have been overlooked for so long so much so that even the operating theaters are not spared? And what makes it all the more frustrating is the fact that those who spoke to the media under conditions of anonymity, did so for fear of repercussions for exposing the rot.
Not only are whistleblowers made to fear, even speaking out the truth about the state of affairs in hospitals is a high-risk matter these days!
For a nation that prides to the world of its many resplendent superstructures, magical Putrajaya, spanking though tolled roads and highways, and many more trappings, its government of over fifty years of experience cannot even ensure that a hospital - of all places mind you, is clean, safe and free of disease causing rodents.
The local authorities have been known for their cruelty to dogs as they go about hounding after what they often claim are stray dogs. But while cats roam freely in every public and even some private hospitals in the country, rats are having a field day.
What does it all say, pray Ministers can you tell us? Or shall we find a scapegoat and quickly sweep the stink under the carpet and carry on with life?
Maybe ātutup satu mataā is the proven way forward? Or better still why not clobber the opposition politicians for āpoliticizingā the matter?
Otherwise we could do good with the cue from the Home Minister, and that is, close down the media for reporting the rodent horror in a hospital!
The entire senior management of the hospital must be subjected to an immediate domestic inquiry and sacked for their irresponsible disposition that is being reported t be an over ten years problem.
Will the UMNO-Baru leadership have what it takes to take this bull by the horn?
After all if we can have a āshoot-to-killā policy when it comes to crime suspects why can we not have a remove and sack policy when there is hard evidence of mismanagement, lackadaisical attitudes and a who-cares mindset amongst those given the role and responsibility to serve the rakyat?
Let us come to terms with the harsh but absolute truth. Not only are hospitals infested with rats, urine and nests but the same goes to our eateries too all over the country.
It is neither unfair nor farfetched to state that while the local authorities are quick to bring down roofing and extensions, cleanliness is restricted to front-door facades and looking good lightings and layouts that are mere make-believe āClean Outletā status.
Attitudes and mindsets towards service and cleanliness and hygiene is none of anyoneās business.
There is more as even our spanking new Putrajaya is not spared. All you have to do is to take account of missing drain covers, emergency fire escape stairways, canteens, broken and stacked up furniture, and what have you at various public institutions and agencies and departments all across the country.
The rest of the supporting evidence can be garnered from the Auditor Generalās Report 2013.
The country, in short, is suffering miserably under a relentless attack ā that is Malaysiansā attitudes and mindsets are rotting away. The mismanagement, wastage, tidak-apa attitudes and care-a-less mindsets, corrupt and irresponsible ways of getting work done and much more, speak volumes of the rot in our society.
Surely somebody has to take responsibility for this fast failing social and moral rot in the country. If it is not the decades old all too familiar UMNO-BN government then who else will it be?
