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."
PAS leaders should know when to mind their own business By Francis Paul Siah
Thursday, January 12, 2023
Malaysiakini : COMMENT | Firstly, itās important that I get this out of the way and set the record straight.
I
have to declare at the outset that I find nothing wrong with PAS as a
political party. I believe I have said this before. Every party shares
one common objective ā it is first and foremost a platform for
politicians to pursue their careers in politics and PAS is no different.
The
characteristics of PAS, as a political party, must surely be also about
attaining power, pursuing an ideology, having a common agenda, and
establishing a government.
Notwithstanding that it is
a religion-based party, the direction of PAS will depend largely on who
are the key people leading the party at the given time.
PAS today is seen as more extreme and bigoted under president
Abdul Hadi Awang and his team. It is clear that after then PAS spiritual
leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat passed away in 2015, the party has never
been the same.
Many of us would surely have noted and recognised the whole world of difference between the PAS of Nik Aziz and that of Hadi.
The late Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat
For the record, and Iām always proud to repeat this, I had respectfully described Nik Aziz as a saint in my writing. Itās an honour Iāve accorded no other politician (not even among my fellow Christians) except Nik Aziz.
I
also recall making a declaration years ago that if I were a Malay and a
Muslim and keen on a political career, I would join PAS. Why? Because
of Nik Aziz. Somehow, you felt safe, secure, and unlikely to be led
astray when Nik Aziz was around.
PAS now run by hypocrites
Sadly,
PAS today is top-heavy with hypocrites at the leadership level. For
starters, head honcho Hadi had already declared that corruption is not
wrong in Islam. What baloney!
Iām actually very
worried that many of the first-time MPs and state assemblypersons in PAS
are taking their presidentās words at face value ā itās really okay to
be corrupt and steal from the public coffers when you are in power.
Well,
this is what the president had preached, isnāt it? Ever wonder why Hadi
had chosen to settle a suit out of court involving an alleged sum of
RM90 million with Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown a few years ago?
Clare Rewcastle-Brown (left) and Abdul Hadi Awang
I
believe we know how to write the concluding chapter of the story when
the main party involved preferred a āhush-hushā deal. Itās clear
something that is not right has to be covered up.
So,
here we are, and Iām not sorry for saying this. Iāve absolutely no
respect for a leader like Hadi. Iāve described him and Bersatu president
Muhyiddin Yassin as āsour grapesā post-GE15.
The
duo, comrades in arms or partners in crime (depending on how you view
them), must have strong, valid reasons as to why they are so desperate
to regain power.
We cannot help but wonder whether it
has something to do with the ongoing MACC probe on the billions said to
be missing from the Finance Ministry. This allegedly happened under
Perikatan Nasional rule when Muhyiddin was prime minister.
Why? Didnāt Hadi say that corruption is okay in Islam? Only the
presidentās acolytes in PAS believe his statement; the other Muslims in
Malaysia probably think Hadi must either be deluded or has some vital
screws loose somewhere.
Seriously, only a āmentally
unstableā person would come to Sarawak and declare that only bumiputeras
who are Muslims are allowed to lead Sarawak.
Hello,
brother Hadi, in case you are not aware, the majority of bumiputeras
(the real sons of the soil) in Sarawak are Dayaks. Oh yes, some of them
are loin-cloth (cawat) wearing Ibans whom you had unapologetically mocked in the past.
No,
Iām not the only one slamming PAS leaders as hypocritical. Last month,
Umno veteran Shahrir Samad has taken a cynical jab at PAS leaders who
are always āpureā even though Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar was on holiday abroad when the state was hit by heavy floods.
Shahrir
recalled that PAS leaders opposed the idea of holding the GE15 during
the flood season, but it is also possible for the partyās leaders to go
on vacation when the people are facing calamities.
Samsuri later apologised for not being āpresentā during the critical phases of the massive floods that struck the state.
Alcohol none of PASā business
I
must also mention another hypocritical act of another PAS leader ā that
of Permatang Pauh MP Muhammad Fawwaz Mohamad Jan ā who courted flak
from a DAP assemblyperson in Penang for āassuming the role of moral policeā regarding the promotion of alcoholic beverages at a mall in the state.
It
is clearly not the MPās business to check the legitimate sale of liquor
in shopping malls. In fact, it is never the duty of an MP to carry out
such an act, which is against the culture and practices of those of
other races and faiths.
Permatang Pauh MP Muhammad Fawwaz Mohamad Jan (right)
The
trouble with a newbie MP like Fawwaz is that he probably thinks that a
YB belonging to a superior race or religion has every right to trample
on others with impunity.
Iāve read somewhere that Fawwaz is an ustaz, 39 years old, and has two wives and 10 children.
Brother
Fawwaz, hereās my little advice. Please work hard, concentrate on doing
good deeds and donāt get into trouble. Bringing up 10 kids is a tall
order.
Five of them could be going to college at the
same time and you have to be responsible for their studies. I know that
an ustaz doesnāt earn much; neither does an ordinary backbencher MP.
Do
not believe what your president has espoused. Corruption is wrong in
every religion. Donāt think that being a YB gives you a license to
accept bribes, steal and abuse your power.
For now, stop being a busybody and mind your own business.
I must also tell you this, Fawwaz. If I were the owner of the mall, I would have shown you and your team the door immediately.
