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."
UndiBanjir: Regretful but voters must come out in large numbers By Bersih
Monday, October 10, 2022
Malaysiakini : Bersih praises the stand taken by six state governments that they
would not simultaneously dissolve their state legislatures this time as
they want to prioritise flood relief efforts.
The states are those
controlled by Pakatan Harapan (Harapan) - Selangor, Penang and Negeri
Sembilan, as well as PAS-controlled Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah.
The
six states should negotiate and announce a common dissolution date
between June 25 (automatic dissolution date for Selangor) and Aug 1
(Penang) to set the new constitutional convention of full-term assembly
and to avoid the public having to guess the next election dates.
Bersih
also regrets that GE15 is called before Budget 2023 is passed. It's an
utter contempt of Parliament when "candies" in the budget are dangled
before the public as election goodies of the PM's party even as it did
not go through parliamentary debates to scrutinise its merits and costs.
Furthermore, Bersih is concerned that regardless of whichever parties
come to power, they would need to table the budget again, be it the
same or a different one.
This may become a crisis point, resulting
in the collapse of the new government if the budget is voted down by
its coalition partners.
Amidst the double risks related to the flood and budget, Bersih calls upon all voters to come out to vote.
A
high turnout can give legitimacy to the 15th Parliament where the MPs
elected are truly representing the majority of their constituents, and
the new government formed can be assured that the majority of eligible
voters support them.
Bersih
calls on the EC to immediately open up the postal voting application to
all overseas Malaysians and give absentee voting rights to East
Malaysians living in the Peninsula, as well as West Malaysians living in
the Borneo territories.
These measures could potentially enfranchise up to 2.5 million eligible voters.
Besides
voting, Malaysians should demand political parties and contestants
commit themselves to key institutional reforms to stabilise politics
after GE15.
Amongst the most important ones are reforms to the Attorney General’s Chambers and public funding of political parties.
The statement was issued by the steering committee of Bersih.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
