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."
As an immediate retort to such claims, I wrote to the East Herts Council and got the following message:
“The
site is within the Metropolitan Green Belt and many of the buildings
are listed which makes any development more difficult, but not
impossible.
“A new hostel building would be an inappropriate
development contrary to green belt policy, and could only be permitted
if there were very special circumstances to justify it.
“One case
being made is that replacing poor quality unlisted buildings for new
accommodation for Olympic athletes in buildings more sympathetic to the
surrounding area provides such justification.”
How did I get the
information? What many did not know was that I used provisions in the
UK’s Freedom of Information (FOI) Act to get access to the application,
minutes of planning council meetings, and other documents to augment my
reporting.
Over the years, I have used the FOI to request the
contributions made by Malaysian developers towards the cost of the
extension of the Elizabeth Line to Battersea. I also requested the
number of Malaysian prisoners held in various UK prisons.
Why this long-winded story?
Freedom of Information Bill
By a twist of
irony, it was Azalina, now the minister in the Prime Minister’s
Department (Law and Institutional Reform) who on Wednesday announced the promulgation of Malaysia’s Freedom of Information bill.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said
“This will enhance the transparency of the government’s lawmaking process for the public’s best interest,” she said.
The
proposed law, she said, would enhance the disclosure of information and
provide public access to information from public bodies and the
government.
This new law will certainly be welcomed by the public
who have often been denied access to documents or information because of
red tape or the use of the dreaded “Official Secrets Act”.
But here’s the catch: “Why is this being done in secrecy?”
“I
welcome suggestions from all stakeholders and am pleased to share that
these suggestions will be proposed to be covered under the Freedom of
Information Bill,” Azalina said.
No one knows the contents of the proposed law but how does one contribute without knowing the parameters or details?
But
why not publish a Consultation Paper so that every citizen of the
country would be able to contribute towards a more open society?
However,
I want to make a request – hold the civil servants to reply to FOI
requests within a stipulated time instead of giving excuses.
Taking
a leaf from the UK’s FOI law, every request has the following response
and undertaking: “Your request will be considered and you will receive
the information requested within the statutory timescale of 20 working
days as defined by the Freedom of Information Act 2000, subject to the
information not being exempt or containing reference to a third party.
“If
your request is made as a Subject Access Request under the Data
Protection Act, you will receive a response within 40 calendar days as
specified in the Act.”
It’s just a start but if there is a
Consultation Paper as suggested, more people will be able to contribute
ideas and provide expertise in their respective fields.
Footnote:
Just before the plans for the Brickendonbury project were rejected in
April 2008, the editor-in-chief Ho Kay Kat received a call from a senior
lawyer threatening to prosecute both for “acting against national
interests” (whatever it meant) but Ho challenged him to go ahead and
called his bluff.
