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."
My top five news stories of the year - Commander S THAYAPARAN (Retired) Royal Malaysian Navy
Thursday, December 29, 2022
Malaysiakini : The following news stories demonstrate the racial quicksand we find
ourselves in and how the political apparatus of this country chooses to
profit politically from these flashpoints.
The narrative is
defined by how the state chooses to always coddle the racial anxieties
of the majority polity but retreats to the fig leaf of inclusivity when
it suits their agendas.
I understand that the floods and other
environmental issues made a major impact this year - but the reality is
that with good governance and a strict policing of the nexus between
political and corporate patronage, these issues could be mitigated if
there is political will.
However, when it comes to race and
religion, the issues get more complicated. We have never had an honest
discussion about race and religion in this country and perhaps we never
will. This, of course, is the Malaysian dilemma.
Deep down inside, we know what is wrong but to commit to solutions
that would right these wrongs would not be politically feasible,
especially when young people have been indoctrinated by the vast
religious bureaucracy and electoral legerdemain remains an issue which,
so far, Pakatan Harapan has shown no will to address.
Imbalanced civil service
When former minister Teresa Kok drew attention
to this issue, she received strong pushback from Cuepacs president
Adnan Mat, who claimed that not only was Teresa politicising the issue
but Pakatan Harapan never did anything but threaten and intimidate the civil service.
Of
course, the old canard that folks who join the civil service do it out
of “patriotism” is a dog whistle of how non-Malays are not loyal to the
country.
In 2017, former Treasury secretary-general Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim opined that the government of the day should cut down on the oversized civil service.
As
reported in the press, he said the country's bloated civil service has
created inefficiencies in the economy and failures in the financial
disciplines of ministries and government departments.
There is a
reason why the civil service has become bloated. This has everything to
do with a sustained effort by successive governments to create a class
of voters loyal to racial and religious hegemony.
Disrespecting national language
Is it any wonder that a regime bankrupt of ideas would weaponise
language to rile up the base? In June, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP)
board of governors’ chairperson Awang Sariyan proposed
individuals “who do not respect the national language can be fined up
to RM50,000 or jailed in proposed amendments to the (DBP) Act 1959.”
In
reality, non-Malays use the language among themselves more often than
they use English, especially when interacting with people from different
backgrounds and educational levels where mother tongues and English are
just not utilitarian.
Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) board of governors’ chairperson Awang Sariyan
“Disrespect” in ketuanan (supremacist) ideology is shorthand for anything the Malay uber alles cretins say is disrespectful.
It
is not based on any qualitative or objective standards and that is the
point. Anyone at any time could be accused of being disrespectful and
minions of the state, funded by our tax ringgit, will jump into action.
Basikal lajak
Next
year, the Court of Appeal will hear the appeal of clerk Sam Ke Ting
after she was acquitted by the Magistrate Court - but a High Court judge
allowed the prosecution’s appeal to set aside the lower court’s
decision.
Not only was the racial sentiment running high but bleeding hearts were claiming that the basikal lajak phenomenon is society's fault.
It is difficult to make the case that society is to blame for the basikal lajak tragedy because as citizens of this country, we do not participate in society as equals.
Sam Ke Ting
The
political system is predicated on race. Economic, social and legal
policies are predicated on race and the non-Malays are constantly told
to be grateful for their citizenship.
The Lowyat 2 fiasco,
fire-fighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim’s untimely death and the
demonisation of non-Malay economic interest point to a system predicated
on antagonising the different racial communities in this country.
Anyone who has driven when these basikal lajak
kids are around will tell you how dangerous it is. They will tell you
how these kids sometimes barely have control of their bikes.
They
will tell you of the fear they have of a kid falling down in front of
their car and the fear of losing control of their vehicle.
And
they will also tell you how these kids have no concern for their
behaviour but more importantly, any concern for the people driving
around them. There are no victims here, only “volunteers”.
Loh Siew Hongsaga
To
understand the tragedy of this single mother, Loh Siew Hong and how
unilateral conversion is a threat to disenfranchised non-Malays in this
country, please read her story here.
Loh eventually found the twins, now 14, with an Islamic NGO and her 10-year-old son at a tahfiz school in Tasek Gelugor, Penang. All three were unilaterally converted to Islam without her knowledge.
Loh Siew Hong
To understand the role of the Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin in this tragedy, please read his comments here.
“But
the problem is, the kids do not want to. We are not holding them
because that is not within our powers, but they (the children) told us
to help defend them, that they want Islam, they want to go to a
religious school,” Asri reportedly said.
Even PAS weighed in on the issue.
The PAS Ulama wing urged
the government and all parties to give priority to the welfare of Loh’s
three children who have chosen Islam as their faith so they will not be
disturbed and forced to return to apostasy, saying: “Muslims have been
patient for a long time and we do not want the religious harmony
guaranteed by the Federal Constitution to inflame the sentiments and
anger of Muslims.”
The fact that Asri posted this on his social
media account is a testament that the state does not view this as a
crime. If it did, Asri would immediately be arrested for aiding and
abetting in a criminal endeavour.
Now we know what Asri thinks of
“cow worshippers” because, in this country, the historical legacy of
Hinduism and the profound way in which it influenced native cultures
have, over the decades, been “ketuanan-washed”.
The fact that Asri
had to apologise for his racist poem about Indians but took it as an
opportunity to wonder at the ungratefulness of non-Malays should tell us
about the kind of religious operatives we are dealing with.
There will be more of these types of cases because the perpetrators understand they will not be sanctioned by the state.
Keep
in mind that for these religious operatives, there are always "enemies"
of Islam and conversion turns these enemies (even children) into
"friendlies".
Bon Odori
Bon Odori is the
beginning of the end. What the Selangor Sultan was advocating in defence
of this festival was for Muslims to embrace the multicultural aspects
of the Malaysian experience.
And what was PAS' response to one of
the pillars of our nation? A total snub of the royal advice. Indeed, so
bold was PAS that the party encouraged other religionists to disregard
the advice of the sultan.
And the state did not do anything. It kept quiet.
Here they are advocating that people disobey
the sultan and question his religious credentials, but when activist
lawyer Fadiah Nadwa Fikri explored themes of power and suppression
regarding the royalty, she was hauled up by the state security
apparatus.
What PAS is demonstrating is the shape of things to come.
Well, that is it, folks. For a certain section of Malaysian polity, we end the year with guarded optimism.
