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."
Malaysiakini : After the furious backlash by MPs, an exasperated Azhar scurried away like a mouse.
Blocking the debate has revealed some of Azharās hidden traits.
First: Azhar cited sub judice rules for refusing the debate. Didnāt the Malaysian government refuse to recognise the Sulu action?
So, why should it stop the MPs from debating the Sulu issue? Itās
another first if the Malaysian authorities actually cared and adhered to
rules and regulations.
Second: Azharās claim
that debating the matter could reveal the governmentās legal strategies
to the enemy is so infantile. The rakyat needs to know the whys and hows
of this Sulu claim. Only a fool would discuss detailed strategies in
public.
The speaker forgot to mention that in the Art of War, pretending to be stupid is also a good strategy.
Third:
The Pakatan Harapan MP for Bukit Gelugor, Ramkarpal Singh, accused
Azhar of conflict of interest because his brother, Idrus, the
attorney-general was involved in the Petronas issue. Azhar said, āI
donāt talk to him about work.ā
Doesnāt this sound familiar? When the NFC scandal was exposed, the disgraced former minister, Shahrizat Abdul Jalil,
whose husband and children were accused of defrauding the rakyat of
RM250 million of taxpayersā money for the failed cattle project, said,
āWe may share the same house, but we donāt talk about work.ā Are these
standard Umno-Baru phrases to disarm us?
Itās almost as if
Umno-Baru has meetings instructing their members on standard phrases to
use to try and get out of a sticky situation.
Fourth:
Azhar claimed that it was his responsibility not to expose the
governmentās strategies. Actually, he is reluctant to admit that the
government does not have any strategy in place.
In your experience of Putrajaya, since when does the seat of government prepare the groundwork and be ready for action?
Fifth:
Azhar may try and blind us with his legal jargon and knowledge, but
does he not consider the Sulu issue a matter of national interest? The
rakyat is furious that we easily ālostā a clump of rocks, Batu Puteh,
and they are anxious that it may be Petronas assets today and all of
Sabah tomorrow. Isnaraissah was right to demand a debate now. Will Azhar
allow a debate once Sulus takes over Sabah?
Sixth: Azharās refusal to allow a debate in the Dewan Rakyat did not stop the government from arranging a closed-door meeting
in a five-star hotel to discuss the Sulu issue. Are these ministers not
bothered about sub-judice, or are they aware that Azhar was talking
nonsense? Was Azhar trying to pull the wool over our eyes yet again?
Seventh:
What is the point of parliament if ministers have arranged a private
hotel meeting to discuss the Sulu issue? If parliament is superfluous to
the nationās needs, then parliament should be disbanded, and the
building converted into private apartments.
Eighth:
The clueless Azhar may soon find himself out of a job. If MPs find the
need to source an alternative location to discuss things of national
interest, then Azharās position as speaker is redundant.
Ninth:
The Sulu descendants and their lawyers have probably studied our
hapless parliament, the Attorney-Generalās Chambers (AGC), and
Putrajaya.
Under Azhar, MPs cannot discuss issues which they feel
are important in parliament. At the AGC, allegedly corrupt ministers and
senior politicians have their charges dropped. Meanwhile, Putrajaya is
like a container ship, with an incompetent captain in charge of an
inexperienced crew.
The
ship is headed for the rocks, and instead of changing course several
miles before the ship goes aground, the authorities wait till the last
minute to act. The Umno-Baru/PAS government is predictable, and the
Sulus know which buttons to press to undermine Putrajaya.
Tenth: Azhar claims to be non-partisan, but in reality, the opposite is true. He claimed not to notice sexist and racist slurs
in the Dewan. He refused to allow Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to
discuss the Pandora Papers in the Dewan. Azhar does not command respect
from MPs, because he does not act like a responsible speaker.
Two
years after Azhar was made speaker by the leader of the backdoor
government, he has continued to disappoint us. He failed to command our
respect then, and 24 months later, he failed to learn that respect is
earned.
He has repeatedly failed to restore order in the Dewan, and perhaps he should resign.
Azhar should know the expression, āIf you canāt stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.ā
