Rudyard Kipling"
“When 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 soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It 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."
Whom would you trust to run the country? - Mariam Mokhtar
Sunday, July 17, 2022
Malaysiakini : There is active discrimination against local, Malaysian-born Indians, but we treat the arrival of the Indian fugitive, Zakir Naik, like he was a head of state or monarch.
Being frozen in time could also apply to the Malaysian Opposition coalition. They appear to be stuck in the reformasi movement
of 1998. Instead of rebuilding or rebranding themselves to move with
the times, the original movement appears to have become static.
For GE15, the opposition coalition must get rid of the deadwood, hangers-on, divisive characters and control the infighting. They will then have to make hard decisions about a fresh start. If not, then Malaysia may languish, for a further 60 years.
Ever since the days of reformasi, progress appears to be measured in 10-year intervals.
The reformasi movement of 1998 was a key defining moment of open activism and social protest.
The next key moment was in 2008, when the ruling coalition lost its two-thirds majority.
In 2018, the seemingly unbeatable Umno-Baru/BN was finally toppled.
Much
has happened since 2018. It reads like a combination between a
Hollywood blockbuster and the animal kingdom gone mad. Treachery,
betrayal, broken promises, sex scandals, frogs, two-headed snakes,
crocodiles, monkeys, donkeys and dinosaurs.
Opposition has much housekeeping to do
Will it be 2028 before we see the next key defining moment in Malaysian history?
The
opposition coalition has much housekeeping to do. They tell us that
they want to project an image of youthful participation and exuberance.
Harapan leaders talk a lot about increased youth participation in
politics.
Whilst DAP is actively pursuing this, Amanah appears to have dropped off the face of the earth.
PKR claims
it wants its youth the chance to excel, have more say in formulating
policies, running the nation, and make key decisions in governance.
There is one stumbling block: the top brass.
For reasons of their own, they refuse to, or are unwilling, or are scared to demand that Anwar Ibrahim steps down. This is the tragedy of Harapan.
After
all the hype about giving youth more say, they then go back on their
word, and like Pejuang and the other Umno-Baru clone parties in
Malaysia, revert to having dinosaurs as heads of their respective
parties.
So, whom would you trust to run the county?
It's
far easier to name those you would not want to lead Malaysia, because,
over the decades, they have contributed to the wretched state of the
nation today.
When Dr Mahathir Mohamad was in power in the 1980s,
many of the politicians and civil servants who are still around now, or
who have recently retired, held junior positions in government at the
time.
They are not stupid, but they are selfish. They probably
realised that many of Mahathir's policies were wrong, but did they speak
out at the time? No, they did not!
Today, the country is in an
almighty mess because of their collective silence. It is not just the
Malays who said nothing, because many non-Malays did the same, too.
Today,
the children and grandchildren of the political dynasties think they
can ride on the coattails of the legacies of their fathers or
grandfathers. Take away the famous name, and these people are nothing.
Remove
the name "Mahathir" and what do you think are Mukhriz's stellar
qualities? Do the same with "Onn", "Razak" and the other names,
including that of the opposition.
The
nation is crippled by the nouveau riche who think they can buy their
way into our hearts, the herd mentality of the political establishment,
the wannabe politician-cum-clerics and the equally damaging clerics-cum-politicians,
who tell the stupid among us that God is on their side. Don't forget
the mainstream broadcast media and law enforcers, who do the
government's bidding.
In my own shortlist of three potential
leaders, the majority are non-Malay, non-male and non-Muslim. What
matters is that they are all Malaysian, educated and fair-minded.
Like
most Malaysians, I am sick to death of a succession of Malay PMs and
leaders, who robbed the nation dry, divided us and like the Pied Piper
of Hamelin, will lead us into oblivion.
The Malay leaders of any
of the Umno-Baru clone parties and PAS have the same genetic make-up,
which is comprised of Umno DNA. All have enormous egos, all lack the
ability to listen, they backstab and when hemmed into a corner, will
produce incriminating videos and a queue of time-wasting, young males,
who claim to have been coerced into doing unmentionable things.
The
non-Malays should be given a chance to lead Malaysia out of the abyss.
For decades, Malay politicians claim that only their party will protect
the Malays and defend Islam.
Ironically, in 2022, the Malays are more divided than ever and have made a mockery of Umno-Baru/PAS' claims.
So, is this why the film, "Mat Kilau" was screened? To provide a timely distraction and instil a false sense of Malay pride and nationalism?