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."
GE15: Battle between extremism and flawed democracy - Commander S THAYAPARAN (Retired) Royal Malaysian Navy
Monday, September 05, 2022
Malaysiakini : And Umno still won. This is why religious extremists want to get rid
of the so-called court cluster. So, really for the establishment voter,
it is a choice between corruption and religious extremism.
PAS
apparatchiks tell me that they continue to believe that the various
religious education establishments and initiatives by state religious
authorities – even those not in PAS-controlled states – have nurtured a
generation of young people who believe Islam and those aligned with the
religion can lead this country into a true Islamic state.
PAS
is desperately attempting to hook up with Umno because, if they do and
the Malay uber alles coalition is made up of Umno, Bersatu and PAS, this
would be a dream come true for the Islamic deep state.
There
would not be any need for sub rosa strategies, only the clear-eyed
agenda to wipe out any kind of secular elements in this country.
One
of the reasons why I always quote Zakir Naik is because he is upfront
in his religious beliefs: that it is incumbent on Muslims to vote for
Muslim leaders regardless of their lack of integrity because Muslim
unity trumps anything else.
Meanwhile, PAS and Abdul Hadi Awang,
after failing with Muafakat Nasional, have begun their propaganda
campaign, whereby they simultaneously claim that Umno is a corrupt
partner and, at the same time, claim that they are in negotiation with
Umno.
PAS also taunts the gains they have made from the Muslim
polity when in government with Umno. And you know what? There are many
people who buy this line of reasoning.
Ketuanan politics
The real issue of the Umno-PAS union is not a war against non-Malays, but rather a war in the Malay community.
The
difference between Harapan and the Umno-PAS union is that the former
has reconciled with the reality that the political landscape has changed
while the latter is still invested in the idea that one party should
represent the Malay polity.
Bersatu cries betrayal and treachery
but conveniently forgets that PN is a child which was sired by betrayal
and treachery and Bersatu is the hubris of Dr Mahathir Mohamad in his
efforts to destroy Umno.
Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad
The
one good thing about the turmoil in the Malay political establishment
is that they have finally rid themselves of the old maverick.
Despite
what Harapan partisans think, there are a host of younger Umno members
who believe in race and religion, but not at the expense of turning this
country into a theocratic state where everyone suffers.
When it comes to ketuanan politics, maybe a good voting chunk of the majority do not want to give up their ketuanan status but do not want a theocratic state either.
Nobody
wants to give up their special privileges, especially when those
privileges sustain families and communities through the vagaries of a
changing economic and geopolitical landscape.
And younger Umno
grassroots-level activists understand the class conflict that has been
percolating in the streets of urban centres and in the rural heartland -
which Umno believes is its vote bank.
With possible
three-cornered fights among the Malay uber alles crowd - if some folks
do not fold that is - the possibility that there is going to be another
round of frog jumping and weak state governments could be the new normal
in Malaysian politics.
Believing that the judiciary is some sort
of totem against religious extremism and even corruption, for that
matter, is delusional.
What is a safeguard against any kind of
fascism is an electorate which believes that democracy, although flawed,
is the best form of governance.
This election, but more importantly voter turnout, will answer this question.
Elections have consequences and Harapan has to get the base out.
If not, whatever creature that emerges from the fall of Najib Abdul Razak would be far worse than a kleptocratic regime.
