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."
Commentator Lim Teck Ghee in his latest column
listed out actions that should be taken to fight for an egalitarian
Malaysia and the irony is that Muda more often than not took those
actions, while the mainstream government parties were hampering such
moves.
Malaysiakini columnist Mariam Mokhtar asked in her latest piece
- “What is Muda to the Madani administration? It is only a minor party
and that may explain why attempts by Muda to have discussions with
PKR/Harapan came to naught.”
I think the problem that PKR has with
Muda is that it reminds the power brokers in PKR how much Muda is
reminiscent of PKR back in the day.
Muda is a multi-racial party
led by a young charismatic Malay leader, who knows not only how to play
the political game but also if given time would win over the urban
especially non-Malay base which PKR desperately needs.
With
Syed Saddiq on sabbatical – the young man knows how to play the press
game, in terms of his political future – the other political
personalities of Muda have to step up.
Young leaders at the helm
Muda needs to highlight issues facing young people in Malaysia but as
the rise of young leaders all over the world has demonstrated, youth
issues are part of larger community concerns that voters who reject old
leaders want the young ones to address.
I am one of those people
who would roll the dice on young leaders taking over the country but
this would mean that they have to reject the established system.
More
importantly, they have to also reject the morally and intellectually
bankrupt political strategies that have resulted in this country going
down the path of failed statehood.
While it is convenient to bring
up Syed Saddiq’s mistakes it is also important to remember that he is
one of the few politicians who dares tell the emperor he has no clothes
on.
Syed Saddiq leaving the unity farce government when Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zaid Hamidi got his discharge not amounting to an acquittal over his Yayasan Akalbudi corruption case, was a big play on the part of Muda.
DPM Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
This
of course earned Syed Saddiq the wrath of not only high-profile
political operatives in the unity government but also, the Pakatan
Harapan base especially the DAP’s when he called the party lap dogs to Zahid. And really the reception Zahid received when he went to the DAP powwow kind of proves Syed Saddiq’s point.
Now of course with the Muar MP stepping down
from his party post, the question is will he himself trigger a
by-election in which his seat and influence come into question? It will
be interesting to see if the progressive forces in this country “allow”
Muda to keep his seat. Keep in mind DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke’s
rejoinder to Syed Saddiq.
What
this means is the leadership of Muda not only has to contend with
Perikatan Nasional but also the supposedly democratic and progressive
unity government.
More importantly, they have to contend with the
Harapan base which claims to want a better Malaysia but in reality, only
wants to replicate Umno/BN era politics and policies.
Young
people, especially from the Malay community, are disenchanted with
mainstream politics. They view PN as a workable alternative to the
power-sharing formula which, after decades of propagandising, has taught
them is to their expense.
I sincerely hope that even without
electoral wins to back them up, Muda continues with political agitations
that not only upset the urban base but continue attempting to spread
out into the rural heartland.
Mariam wrote: “Don’t dismiss Muda because its leaders are committed to a progressive Malaysia.”
The question is, are non-Malays and progressive Malays open to the idea of Muda? So far the answer seems to be, no.
With Syed Saddiq stepping down, Muda needs to step up.
