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."
Mr PM, please update our anti-corruption laws By R Nadeswaran
Monday, April 17, 2023
Malaysiakini : The same words used in his anti-corruption vitriol were absent
leading to speculation if there had been “deals made” to get Umno to
prop up his unity government.
And to add fuel to the further, the
court granted a postponement to Deputy Prime Minister and Umno
president, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to enable him to make representation to
the attorney-general despite the prosecution having proven a prima facie
case.
Whatever
the outcome of the cases of two Umno presidents – present and past –
there will be no dearth of critics and observers saying “I told you so.”
Leaving
this aside, the question is: Are our anti-corruption laws in sync with
the fast pace of developments in the financial world?
What was then a few ringgit just as duit kopi (coffee money)
subsequently became a culture in which any transaction with the
government needed a few hundred or few thousand to grease the palm of
civil servants.
Now it seems that it is an entitlement and runs
into millions - as we have heard as evidence presented in several cases
in a court of law.
Many countries have laws pertaining to unlawful
or unexplained wealth. Some have a provision that it is an offence “to
have assets or lead a lifestyle that is disproportionate to the declared
income.”
Others like the United Kingdom introduced a regulation called the Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO) in January 2018.
Among
others, the UWOs require the owner of an asset worth more than £50,000
(RM274,063) to explain how he or she was able to afford that asset.
In
the first-ever case in the UK, officers from the National Crime Agency
(NCA) took Zamira Hajiyeva to court for having acquired property with
unexplainable funds. She is the husband of jailed Azerbaijani banking
fraudster, Jahangir Hajiyev.
According to court records, she spent more than £16 million (RM87 million) in Harrods between September 2006 and June 2016.
She also had two properties worth £12 million (RM65 million) in posh areas of London.
After a series of court battles, the court ordered that £22 million (RM126.6 million) of her assets be seized.
Previously,
little could be done by the UK authorities to act on highly suspicious
wealth unless there was a legal conviction in the country of origin.
In
cases where the origin country is in crisis or the individual holds
power within a corrupt government, this was unlikely to be achieved.
Previously law enforcement agencies needed to prove in court that an asset was purchased with laundered funds.
UWOs
shift the burden of proof away from prosecutors and onto the asset’s
owner and give the powers not only to seize the assets but also powers
to prosecute.
“This
is the weapon that the Malaysian government needs to seize and
repatriate millions of ‘dirty money’ ringgit which had been laundered
through property purchases in the UK and the purchase of expensive
jewellery and paintings.
“The UWO not only applies to monies
stolen from 1MDB but also government funds misappropriated by government
officials, businesspersons and politicians using proxies and nominees.
“It
is apparent that Malaysia needs similar legislation to combat
corruption and money laundering. The announcement last week by Finance
Minister Lim Guan Eng is welcome indeed.
“We want to get the
government’s money back, this is why the attorney-general is studying
this provision introduced in the UK,” he was quoted as saying during a
dialogue session in Penang.
“For years, anti-corruption advocates
had pleaded with the government to introduce a clause in our
anti-corruption law which ‘makes it an offence for anyone to lead a
lifestyle or have assets disproportionate to his or her declared income.
In
jest, I added: “The pleas were rebuffed for obvious reasons. The cynics
said that if there was such a law, three-quarters of MPs on the then
government bench would be in jail.
“If senior government officers were to be included, they quipped, a new wing would have to be built in Sungai Buloh!”
Now that Anwar is in full throttle on anti-corruption, such an Order will certainly help in bringing culprits to book.
UWO
would allow for the confiscation of property without proving
criminality, by reversing the burden of proof. The accused must prove
that he or she acquired assets lawfully.
It is such a useful tool
to be used in Malaysia. The MACC can go after minor politicians who wear
expensive watches, live in “places” and drive Ferraris and Maserati.
They should be ordered to explain their source of wealth.
If no plausible explanation with proof of income is provided, just seize their assets.
The MACC Act makes provisions for such orders without having to go to Parliament.
Section
71 (2) of the Act states empowers the minister to make regulations or
rules for the further, better and more convenient carrying out of the
provisions of this Act, and may make regulations or rules for the form
of any notice, order, declaration or other matter under the Act.
Mr
prime minister, you have been shouting yourself hoarse about
corruption. The UWO is a good “weapon” in your zeal and enthusiasm to
fight corruption.
Unless there is no political will to go about it, we are all doomed.