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."
Lip service paid to 'don't be afraid to criticise' credo By R Nadeswaran
Friday, August 25, 2023
Malaysiakini : For more than 30 years, I have criticised and sometimes lambasted the
government, ministers and even enforcement agencies on an array of
issues.
Did not the prime minister make a grandstanding by
declaring: āDue to the changing times and political climate, this
government has decided that the media in this country should get freedom
without censorship?ā
Speaking in Ipoh at the 2023 National
Journalistsā Day celebration in May, he added: āThe media are
responsible for shaping the publicās view. Journalists forge ideas,
spark the spirit of independence and sow the seeds of enlightenment.ā
A few days later, Anwar told religious scholars that they do not need to be afraid of criticising the government.
He also said the government was open to criticisms, so long as they were not slanderous. Why then is the state going after critics of the government?
Soft targets?
Activists Arun Dorasamy and S Shashi Kumar
may not be journalists or religious leaders but they are community
leaders who have the right to say their piece without harassment or
hindrance.
(Front, from left) Arun Dorasamy and S Shashi Kumar
Why has the duo been singled out when many other individuals and groups have said the same thing? Were they āsoft targetsā?
I have watched both video clips and they were merely expressing their
opinions on something the prime minister did or ought not to have done.
Their arguments were premised on the latter.
Police have begun investigations for allegedly posting insulting statements against Anwar on Aug 18.
The
case, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Mohd
Shuhaily Mohd Zain said, is still at the investigation stage and the
public is advised not to make any speculations or share wrong
information that could disrupt the process or cause disharmony in the
community.
No one is sharing or has shared wrong information, sir.
What constitutes āinsultingā is subjective and we can argue until the
cows come home.
Both merely reacted to a video showing Anwar teaching a man to recite the two ākalimah shahadahā (Islamic declaration of faith) phrases.
It was a spontaneous, perhaps angry reaction to that video. Surely, they cannot be faulted, investigated or prosecuted for it.
Under
these circumstances, are the proclamations of ādonāt be afraid to
criticiseā and āfreedom of expressionā meant to be used sporadically or
when it is aimed at specific audiences?
Silencingvoices
In
the bad old days, one could be prevented from leaving the country just
because he or she spoke out against the excesses in 1MDB. Are we going
back to that?
Are newspaper licences going to be suspended and
websites blocked because something unpalatable to the government has
been written?
So much was promised when this government took office and so little has been delivered. This comes from the bottom of my heart.
Many are disillusioned over the promises made that have yet to be carried out and I count myself as one of them.
This
is a genuine expression of dissatisfaction with the pace of the reforms
which were made prior to the general election last November.
Now,
the million-dollar question: Will I be investigated for expressing my
opinion and criticising the state and its operatives who believe that
their actions and words are beyond question?
