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."
Much is
at stake. The PAC report has found that the ādetailed designā for the
project has yet to be finalised between the government and BNS. This, as
the PAC argues, leaves the project vulnerable to continued
manipulation.
More worrying still, the PAC found that
15 percent out of some RM1.7 billion worth of equipment stored for the
LCS are now obsolete.
Will the LCS be able to perform during its sea acceptance trials?
This means that there is a risk these vessels may not be able to properly defend our country even when they are completed.
The
possibility that the contractor has and will be able to overcome its
previous problems cannot be denied. But the record so far, like it or
not, has not been encouraging.
The government seems
to be running on the assumption that the first two LCSā can be completed
by 2024 or sooner and that they will be accepted without issues.
However,
it is unclear if the two ships can be completed by 2024 with the
remaining RM3 billion or so budget, especially considering that there
are RM800 million in liabilities.
Recall
how the PAC report has confirmed that the Royal Malaysian Navyās (RMN)
concerns about various issues surrounding the LCSā design were ignored
by the contractor and thethen government.
As
such, if the LCS is found to be not fit for purpose - if and when we
get the vessels - how will they be corrected without future cash
injections?
These doubts and concerns cannot simply be dismissed either.
The
government should comprehensively outline how they plan to deal with
these looming challenges as well as act on the PAC reportās
recommendations promptly.
It should also declassify
the report by the Special Investigation Committee on Public Governance,
Procurement and Finance on the LCS as well as implement its respective
recommendations.
The future of the LCS saga is just as crucial as its past.