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."
What ails rural Malay voters? By Brigadier General Arshad Raji (Retired)
Friday, October 21, 2022
Malaysiakini : Corruption, abuse of power and false promises by political leaders of
Malay and Islamic-dominated political parties in their desperate and
hell-bent effort to gain popular support from the rural Malay voters,
are conveniently whitewashed away with cash and goodies handed out to
the unsuspecting rural populace.
The inertia of leaders of the
Malay and Islamic-dominated political parties to condemn corruption and
abuse of power that has this nation mired and saddled with its
historically worst economic and political performance is deafening.
We
can easily recall an Islamic party leader who had even said that
ācorruption does not fall under the hudud lawā. And in a different
statement, he said that ānon-Muslim and non-bumiputera are the most
involved in corruptionā.
Are not such statements racist and divisive, to say the least?
When former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak was sentenced to a
12-year jail term for corruption recently, instead of supporting the
highest courtās final decision, leaders of the said party berated the
court sentence, labelling it as politically motivated and that Najib was
a victim of injustice.
It took almost four years to conclude this
high-profile court case, and the trial had gone through various steps
of the judicial process, yet leaders of the political party are still
not satisfied and demand a royal pardon; a demand that is most
incredulous and undermines the justice system of the nation.
Now the nation awaits GE15.
To
most Malaysians, the decision to prematurely call for a general
election was deliberately plotted to satisfy certain clusters of
political leaders and those who are mired in serious crimes and are
facing an uphill battle in court.
Questions have been asked as to
why the king succumbed to the demands of the prime minister and the Umno
leadership, paving the way for the dissolution of Parliament.
The
ensuing GE15 comes despite knowing very well that the prevailing
weather patterns and the impending northeast monsoon are likely to
affect votersā turnout.
Patriot demands to know should the effects
of the monsoon be serious enough to curtail votersā turnout, to who
will blame be apportioned?
Patriot
puts on record once again its fears that such unsavoury leaders will be
appointed to ministerial positions should the party win GE15. It is not
farfetched or mere speculation to fear that such an outcome will surely
drag the nation and its people further down the cesspit of a disastrous
socio-political landscape.
What will the state of our beloved nation be, post-GE15, should a known and corrupt political party win GE15?
All
patriotic, concerned and informed Malaysians must contribute their
efforts in reaching out these legitimate concerns and fears to the
unsuspecting and easily pleased rural Malay folks.
Let us do our fair share for the love of the nation, its people and the king.
