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."
The men who hunt Kit Siang By Commander S THAYAPARAN (Retired) Royal Malaysian Navy
Wednesday, December 13, 2023
Malaysiakini : I would argue that what the old maverick said was even more
detrimental to this unity government because he repeated (from
reportage) - “ … an unfounded claim he made, that the current government
could redefine electoral boundaries in a way that would reduce the
number of Malay-majority constituencies in the country”.
Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad
In
other words, the old maverick was claiming that this unity was
purposely destroying Malay power for the benefit of non-Malay power
structures.
Keep in mind that any form of electoral restructuring
which would favour a balanced or equitable vote weightage would be
construed as undermining Malay power, so this government is in a damned
if you do, damned if you don’t position.
Lim’s aspiration that
every Malaysian has a place under the Malaysian sun and Mahathir’s
warning to the Malay community have the same effect when it comes to ketuanan politics.
Non-Malay dreams of equality under the law and ketuanan propaganda that such equality undermines Malay dominion are what fuels racial politics in this country.
Malay political operatives who want to project some kind of progressiveness have attempted to refine this toxic paradigm.
Remember when Khairy Jamaluddin attempted to define Malay political dominion as “Kepimpinan Melayu”?
Khairy Jamaluddin
This
is what Khairy said in 2009 when he was attempting to shed his “ultra”
image when he declared that Umno would always champion race and
religion, however - “we must pursue these things based on two
principles: justice and compassion, especially when dealing with other
races.
“This compass will underline our national agenda that is grounded not
in the narrow concept of Malay dominance, but on the concept of Malay
leadership – magnanimous as well as both just and compassionate."
And
who could forget the Malay Dignity Congress that the old maverick was a
part of where a five-point declaration was handed to him, one of the demands
made as reported in the press – “…. for main positions within the
government to only be filled by Malay-Muslims, such as the prime
minister, deputy prime minister, menteri besar and chief ministers as
well as important ministries such as finance, education, defence and
home affairs.
“They also want the government to only appoint
Malay-Muslims to top positions within the government such as the chief
justice, attorney-general, secretary-general to the government,
inspector-general of police, chief of defence forces and others”.
Why
not draw up legislation which would give legal validity to all those
fears and grievances of the Malay community when it comes to
non-Malay/liberal Malay leadership in this country?
After all,
non-Malay political operatives and Malay liberals are always warned not
to spook the Malays or not trespass into territories that are supposedly
exclusive “Malay”.
For years, we were fed the narrative that the government was supposed to be a bastion of Malay leadership and privilege.
Or
how about this - why not all non-Malay and liberal Malay candidates
sign pledges that even if elected to the state or federal level, they
would not seek positions of power and influence?
Maybe assistant
roles would be all they would hope to achieve but the big positions
would only be for the Malays of the "illiberal" persuasion.
This is in line with what PAS said during that wonderful Malay Dignity Congress that many Malay leaders attended.
"Obviously,
we will take it up to the government for discussion as this reflects
the feelings of the Malays, and they are worried about their future. We
want to find ways so the Malays can play a role in restoring their
honour".
While it is heartening to see a few Malay leaders speak
up in defence of Kit Siang, the reality is that this form of harassment
will continue because of what this unity government is proving, even
though this may not be its intent that any form of non-Malay
participation in government, is a form of provocation to the far right
forces in this country.
Ten years or a hundred years, it does not
matter. There will always be men like those who hunt Kit Siang, who will
remind non-Malays that some aspirations are verboten to them.
