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."
Rounding up politicians and their progeny By Mariam Mokhtar
Friday, January 19, 2024
Malaysiakini : If the politician’s son were to fail in his business venture, we won’t be told that taxpayers’ money was used to bail him out.
Around 40 years ago, politicians who did wrong knew they could hide behind some of the country’s draconian laws. This was the invisible cloak that shielded them from public scrutiny and accountability.
In
those days, anyone who tried to expose these corrupt politicians had to
be ‘discouraged’. There were allegations of arrests, trumped-up
charges, incarceration, threats, hush money, and physical harm.
Today,
these allegedly corrupt politicians, their spouses, and their children
probably claim unfair treatment for being investigated. The wife of
former finance minister Daim Zainuddin said her husband was persecuted for his success.
Others claim Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was exacting revenge on his former political rivals.
The rakyat really don’t care, as all they want is justice. Corruption has become a way of life. There is no respect for the rule of law. Values and morals have been abandoned.
For
50 years, the nation was sold a lie. The Malays held the top positions
in government, the civil service, and the armed forces. They dictated
policies and ran the wheels of government. But the Malays were also the
country’s worst hypocrites.
They stole from the public. They were motivated by greed. Short-term thinking involved the three Ps, power, perks, and position.
They
failed to think of the long-term consequences of their actions. They
used the cloak of race and religion to further their evil aims.
The real traitors
Last week, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Indians and Chinese were not loyal citizens. Really?
Wasn’t it Malay leaders who stole taxpayers’ money, mismanaged the economy, and compromised Malay institutions like Tabung Haji, Mara, and Felda? If anyone is to be considered a traitor, then it is the thieving Malay leader(s) who betrayed the nation.
The politicians enriched their family members but then had the
audacity to claim their business skills were praiseworthy. The Chinese
and DAP would be blamed for the poor financial standing of the Malays.
Incredibly,
some Malaysians, including the privileged ones, have questioned the
timing of these MACC investigations. They want to know why it took so
long. They fear the destabilisation of the country. They claim it is too
late to do anything.
Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad
Are they daft? If they need reminding, here are some comparisons.
Somewhere
outside Sungei Siput, two boys help their mother place several buckets
at strategic points on the floor to collect the rainwater pouring in
through the holes in the ‘attap zinc’.
Home is a two-room shack
for the six of them - mother, father, grandmother, and the boys’ older
sister, who is disabled, as is her father. They get minimal help from
the Welfare Department.
The family dread the wet weather. As a
cleaner, the mother’s wage cannot cover the cost of a new roof and she
has pawned off the last of her wedding jewellery to pay for essentials.
Benefits of being privileged
In contrast, some of us may have read about the luxurious properties in Beverly Hills, New York, and London, owned by the son of a former Malaysian PM.
At
the same time, the former PM’s wife told the public that she could
afford her huge collection of multi-million ringgit gems because she was
prudent and started saving when she was a teenager. Or the two sons of a
former minister, who were millionaires before they were 12.
Then,
we read about politicians and their sons lodging appeals about their
huge tax bills. Isn’t it strange that for the majority of the rakyat,
the taxman will say, “Pay first, ask questions later.”
Over in Sarawak, a former chief minister reportedly said his children became rich because they are not stupid and possess good business acumen.
Nothing
is said about how Malaysian politicians behave like the mafia. They
allegedly use intimidation and violence to take over an ordinary
Malaysian’s business, extort money, or force the legitimate
businessperson to include the politician’s family members or the elite
Malays to receive commission or be on their payroll.
These rich
privileged Malay politicians have misled the nation. They said ordinary
Malays were lazy, and yet they are the hypocrites who grew rich from the
blood, sweat, and toil of the poor Malays and the non-Malays. So, who
are the real traitors?
The day that members of the Malay elite
lose everything is probably the day they will regain their humility,
values, and self-respect.