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."
Sarawak, Sabah strike back at racists, bigots By Francis Paul Siah
Sunday, March 26, 2023
Malaysiakini : At one point, Adenan even issued a very serious warning, stating that
“Sarawakians have good reasons to say they want to leave Malaysia” if
the silliness and stupidity of some political zealots were not halted.
This
was at a time when the Allah issue erupted again, followed by the
furore over a politician’s callous call to burn the bible.
Former Sarawak chief minister Adenan Satem
Several important underlying factors stood out in Adenan’s tough stance against extremist groups in Peninsula Malaysia.
It
was clear that Adenan had earned the respect of then-prime minister
Najib Abdul Razak and with the premier’s support, the chief minister’s
bold statements were taken seriously at the federal level.
On record, Adenan was the first chief minister of Sarawak to openly
and publicly take on those fanning racial and religious hatred.
I do not recall Adenan’s predecessor, who was chief minister for 33 long years, taking up such issues during his watch.
Adenan
had also banned certain known extreme personalities from entering
Sarawak. This time, exercising his immigration authority as chief
minister had the full and unequivocal support of Sarawakians.
What
is also obvious is that when extreme groups started to fan hatred
against those of other races or creeds - Sabah and Sarawak are hardly
taken into the equation. To most of them, Malaysia only means the
peninsular.
Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak with the late Adenan Satem
They
also conveniently forget that there is no official religion in the two
Borneo territories and that the majority of Sabahans and Sarawakians are
Christians and non-Malay/Muslims.
‘East Malaysia rejects extremists’
This
vast difference in demographics between Peninsula Malaysia and the
Borneo regions has always been misunderstood, possibly by design, by
religious fanatics.
They cannot just bulldoze their views or
attempt to impose their Islamic rules on those of other faiths,
certainly not where the “nons” are the majority.
These zealots must also be told that there is no so-called “green
wave” in Sabah and Sarawak. As far as I know, all the PAS candidates who
had contested in Sarawak elections over the past many years had lost
their deposits.
Oh yes, the grass is also green in Sarawak but I only see blue waves (not green) splashing into our long, beautiful coastline.
Here,
I would humbly suggest to the PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang to send
his many newbie MPs to Sarawak to learn about religious tolerance and
the many unique cultures of Sarawak’s diverse ethnic groups.
I
believe Sarawak’s Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts
Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah will be happy to host PAS clerics to a
lecture titled: “Why it doesn’t make you less Muslim if you were to
visit a church or a temple!”
Karim has been very vocal over the past week in responding to the issues brought up by radical groups, and rightly too.
Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah
It
is also what I would describe as a continuation of Adenan’s legacy of
tackling the fanatics and radicals at eye level. It’s a “don’t you
dare!” warning delivered right into your face.
I’m also glad that
Karim has backed Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh after she came
under attack for her ministry’s involvement in the “Jom Ziarah”
programme.
I consider Yeoh a personal friend and can vouch for her
integrity and diligence as a person of faith as well as a public
servant.
In no way would a person of Yeoh’s calibre and
intelligence cross any red line. I’m sure the minister is more than
capable of defending herself, so I’ll leave it at that.
I must also commend former Sabah chief minister Salleh Said Keruak for speaking up for Sabahans on the issues in question.
He
pointed out that intermarriages are common among Sabahans and many have
relatives of a different faith. They will be attending family events
like marriages in places of worship other than their own.
This has never been an issue in Sabah and there is no reason why this should not be allowed, said Salleh.
The Sabah leader also shared a video,
a 59-second clip taken in 2018 depicted a man breaking fast in a church
in the United Arab Emirates, saying that he felt that he should share
it with all Malaysians with the hope that it would bring them closer
amid attempts to drive them apart.
Speaking about his experience,
the man said: “What I saw this evening is Muslims stepping into the
Christian world and Christians stepping into the Muslim world. All I saw
were smiles. All I saw was happiness.”
Indeed, in Sabah and
Sarawak, all we see among our people of various ethnic groups and creeds
are joy and happiness as we celebrate our different festivities
together.
Over this Ramadan, I believe that the Christian
community will host the breaking fast event in a Christian centre for
their Muslim brethren in Kuching. I expect a similar event in Kota
Kinabalu.
It’s very sad and depressing too that the same could not be held in certain states in the peninsula where the fanatics rule.
If some people do not want to see smiles and happiness around them but choose to be unhappy and miserable, what can we do?
