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."
I salute Tanjung Piai voters for teaching Harapan a lesson by Francis Paul Siah
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Malaysiakini : COMMENT | To Tanjung Piai voters,
let me give you a very sincere salute - one with respect, appreciation
and gratitude - for your remarkable role in taking the lead on behalf of
Malaysians to teach Pakatan Harapan a long-overdue lesson.
You
have told Harapan leaders in no uncertain terms not to play play with
voters. Voters are the masters, not politicians. Your message is loud
and clear It is obvious that for the past 18 months, Harapan
leaders possess little or no empirical skills to understand the big
questions related to political behaviour or public opinion. Many
of them have acted high and mighty, including their supreme commander,
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, thinking that they can do no wrong
and continuing to ignore the vociferous voices of Malaysians clamouring
for them to mend their ways.
Public
opinion is regarded as a constructive or a baneful force in a democracy
and few political advisers worth their salt are prepared to suggest
that the government should ignore it. Harapan has established many
advisory groups since May 9 last year, and I do wonder what sort of
advice they are giving their political masters. If I were in the
Harapan council, I would advise that these so-called advisers with big
names and high-sounding titles to be immediately sacked and replaced
with more sincere and dedicated souls who genuinely love and care for
the nation and people.
Once the power of public opinion is
ignored, the end result is crystal clear as depicted by the landslide
victory of the opposition Barisan Nasional in Tanjung Piai. If
Harapan learns nothing from the wrath of the electorate in Tanjung Piai,
then I say good riddance to this alliance of hope which, to many today,
is simply clueless and hopeless.
I
congratulate the voters of Tanjung Piai for securing a victory that
they and all their fellow Malaysians truly deserve. With your sacred
votes and your wisdom, you have shown Harapan no mercy ā which they do
not deserve anyway. You have brought Harapan down to earth, and that is exactly where they should be, at least for now.
If
Harapan leaders are unable to swallow humble pie and do not hang their
heads low in shame over this crushing defeat, then the coalition
deserves to be annihilated in GE15. Iām actually amazed that PKR president Anwar Ibrahim considered BN's overwhelming majority in the Tanjung Piai by-election as a shock. MCAās
Wee Jeck Seng won by a whopping 15,086-vote majority by garnering
25,466 votes against Bersatuās Karmaine Sardiniās 10,380 votes.
It is surprising that the premier-in-waiting could not see what was coming when ordinary folk could from day one. However,
itās well and good that Anwar also acknowledged that the bruising
defeat was āa message to the entire Pakatan Harapan leadership, and we
must learn from the by-election resultsā. Let me say here that I was in a celebratory mood last night, not so much in BNās victory but more in Harapanās defeat.
At
5pm yesterday, I sent out this message to friends in various chat
groups, accompanied by a photo of an orangutan: āI look forward to a
Harapan defeat tonight. Iāll be a very happy man even if my orangutan
friend wins as long as itās not Harapanā. To me, it does not matter who wins as long as itās not Harapan. I had stated my stand on Nov 2, the nomination day of the by-election The
reason I said I would vote for MCA or Gerakan was to register my
protest against Harapanās misdeeds and U-turns of the past months and
teach them a lesson they will never forget.
Iām glad that the Tanjung Piai voters are on the same page
as me. They spoke not only for me but for many fellow Malaysians too. I
also stated on Nov 2 that BN made a wise decision in choosing MCAās Wee
Jeck Seng as their standard-bearer. They have been proven right. Iām
not a fan of BN or Umno, but I have to give them credit for doing the
right thing, at least in Tanjung Piai. Credit is certainly due to them
this time. In response to Mahathirās message to Tanjung Piai voters on Nov 14 telling them not to shoot themselves in the foot, a friend sent me this message last night:
āDr
M, you want our votes? Then show us your transition plan and dateline.
You have not been honest with us on the matter. We rather shoot
ourselves than to allow you to keep shooting us. āYou shot us when
you appointed an incompetent Maszlee Malik as the education minister.
You shot us by not recognizing UEC. You shot us by implementing Jawi
khat. You shot us by keeping Zakir Naik. You shot us by pulling out of
ICERD and the Rome Statute.
āYou shot us by removing GST and
re-implementing SST. You shot us by protecting Azmin Ali. You shot us by
attending the Malay Dignity Congress. You shot us by pissing off India
with your big mouth. You shot us by protecting the Perak menteri besar.
So what is another bullet in the foot?ā
I hope, for once, that our prime minister listens to the real and pressing voices of discontent from Malaysians. The
sooner that Mahathir realises that he is not the indisputable and
indispensable saviour of the nation, the better it would be for Harapan. There is still hope for Harapan yet. The sooner the grand old man retires for good, that is. Finally, let me thank the voters of Tanjung Piai for electing my orangutan friend (and rejecting Harapan) to be their new MP.
And
congratulations to Jeck Seng on his grand victory. Iām also glad that
your party president Wee Ka Siong will now be less lonely in Parliament.
I hope to meet you one fine day to congratulate you in person when I drop by Parliament.