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."
It also creates animosity
between Indians attempting to navigate the political terrain in DAP and
becomes another reason for Indian political and community leaders to
ācannibaliseā each other.
For example, the Hindu Rights Action
Force (Hindraf) was a squandered opportunity. Whatever leadership that
marginalised Indians hoped to have, it was taken over by opportunists
and charlatans who made grandiose claims on behalf of the community
before scuttling away into the darkness, waiting for the next opportune
moment to flare up again.
Indian political operatives are told to be grateful for whatever
positions they achieve in the DAP. They are reminded by the base that
the only reason why they are there is because they were voted in by the
Chinese community.
You can observe this on news sites and on
social media. In fact, when Ramasamy left DAP for various reasons - not
all of which had to do with the āIndianā community - former Batu Kawan
MP Kasthuri Patto said this: āFor 15 years, he enjoyed the power,
privilege and perks that came with the job and most importantly because
of DAP.ā
Former Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto
And
of course, the sordid exchange between Ramasamy and M Kulasegaran about
the deputy chief minister II (DCM2) post, which did no favours to the
Indian community.
In my opinion, I felt it was a bit churlish when
Ramasamy said: āItās not that positions should not be given to Indians
in general but preference must be given to those from the Indian Tamil
community, particularly those with a good track record of fighting for
the community.
āCertainly not any Indian Tamil. However, there are
Indians who might be of Tamil origin but, unfortunately, have done
nothing or very little for the community but ingratiated themselves in
political parties by virtue of their servility or obsequiousness.ā
The
above exchange also makes all these pronouncements of fighting for the
rights of the Indian community sound hollow and it would seem that this
new party only serves or attempts to serve a specific community within
the Indian polity and not the civil rights of non-Malays in this
country.
A stronger Indian party
Indeed Ramasamyās detractors were waiting for him to start another party.
Not
only does another Indian political party feed into conventional
narratives of āIndianā disunity but a political party created by a
disgruntled (or at least this is the way Ramasamy is portrayed) is manna
from heaven for the propagandists within the DAP.
Ramasamy launches a new party, Urimai
The
fact that this party is willing to work with anyone further fuels
narratives that Ramasamy has been bought and paid for by Perikatan
Nasional.
At various times on this platform, I have questioned the
value of having Indian-based parties, arguing that it would reflect
reality a little better if we had an Indonesian or maybe even a
Bangladeshi-based party.
I do not know the exact numbers ā does anyone? ā but it would seem more realistic to cater to them than the Indian community.
Whatever
promises that are made to the Indian community do not mean much. How
are those promise-breakers expected to be held accountable if the
community is not even considered as a significant voting block?
How
exactly does a community whose political leadership - either
establishment or opposition - are constantly told that they are there
because of the votes of the Malay and Chinese effectively advocate on
behalf of their communities such as the Malay and Chinese leadership?
Made it about himself
If
Ramasamy remained independent beyond political partisanship, it would
have made him a formidable voice for the disenfranchised Indian
community.
Ramasamyās rabble-rousing polemics are the panacea to
the political bromides of this unity government attempting to hoodwink
the most disenfranchised of the Malaysian family regardless of their
race and religion.
Instead, Ramasamy has made this about himself,
which is what his detractors want. He has made this about his political
fortunes even if he did not intend for it to be.
Now, it is more
focused on how Ramasamy is failing or fails to galvanise the Indian vote
or how Ramasamy is a spoiler (maybe on purpose) using the Indian
community to disrupt DAP and this farcical unity government.
Ramasamy
may have painted a target on his back but unfortunately, it would be
the disenfranchised of the Indian community who will absorb the blows
coming his way.
