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."
MP SPEAKS | Is there a ban on 'non-Islamic elements' by authorities? By Wilfred Madius Tangau
Saturday, November 25, 2023
Malaysiakini : On Nov 24, FMT reported that the Association of Churches in Sarawak (ACS) decided to boycott the event after “The organiser of the event, TVS, a state-owned television station, said it could not accede to the request as “O Holy Night” contained religious elements.
“It said this was in line with the protocols of LPF as well as the MCMC”.
As
such, Anwar - together with Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail who
is in charge of LPF, Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil
who oversees MCMC, and Sarawak-born National Unity Minister Aaron Ago
Dagang must make an unequivocal statement on this matter, instead of
letting TVS take the blame for this alleged “miscommunication”.
And
if the presence of such a ban is unfortunately true, it can only mean
there is an explicit attempt to deny non-Islamic faith their legitimate
space in TV, movies and other broadcast media, to make such realm a
monopoly of Islam.
Nevertheless, the Sarawak government should be
commended for organising through TVS this event, which is to be attended
by Premier Abang Johari Openg.
However, their noble effort has apparently been tarnished by Malayan exclusivism.
If true, such a ban has severe implications that harm Malaysia’s national interest as follows:
It
is tantamount to a malicious misinterpretation of Article 3 of the
Federal Constitution - which makes Islam the religion of the Federation,
a provision supported by all Malaysians, to the extent of undermining
freedom of expression under Article 10(1)(c) and religious freedom under
Article 11, thus sowing the seed of national disunity.
It
is an affront to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) which underlined
religious freedom as a fundamental characteristic of Malaysia. Religious
freedom is upheld as part of the core identity of Sabah and Sarawak -
not only by Christians, Buddhists, Taoists, animists, atheists and other
non-Muslims, but also by Muslims who celebrate their families and
social ties with other Borneo Malaysians.
Such betrayal of MA63
would make a strong contrast between Malaysian Borneo to Indonesian
Kalimantan, where all religions including indigenous religions are
celebrated and protected.
Further attempts to make Malaysia a
country where only Islam can appear in the public sphere threaten the
territorial integrity of Malaysia.
Malaysian Borneans must not be
pushed to find themselves sharing a closer vision of multicultural
nationhood with their Indonesian cousins.
It helps to fuel Islamophobia around the world by
showcasing how Muslim majoritarianism limits the freedom of non-Muslims
when the demographic and political strength of Muslims grows.
This
is most unfortunate as Sabah, Sarawak and Indonesia - as part of the
multiculturalist Nusantara civilisation - have long shown harmonious
co-existence of Muslims and non-Muslims is both possible and cherished,
much like the Medina city under the leadership of Prophet Mohamad in
622-632 AD (1-10 Hijrah).
It goes without saying that this also
draws cynicism and ridicule to Anwar’s noble ideal of Malaysia Madani,
which is based on the Medina experience and is important for Malaysia to
stay territorially united.
To put this matter to rest, LPF and MCMC must issue new circulars to deny the existence of such a ban from now on.
They must not become stumbling blocks to national unity and government policy.
