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."
Firstly, it is important
to recognise there is nothing wrong with Tiong, as a Chinese and
non-Muslim, eating pork and drinking alcohol. He can eat and drink all
he wants and, I must add, anywhere he wants to as it is his right to do
so.
But I must also ask. Is there an unwritten rule that
non-Muslim ministers and staff must not consume non-halal food and
beverages in their offices?
If so, why was this never an issue in
the past? I do not recall anyone accusing MCA or MIC ministers of eating
pork or consuming alcohol in their offices.
Tiong
If
you ask me, I find it impossible to believe that our non-Muslim
ministers and staff had never been tempted to consume non-halal food and
beverages, even in the privacy of their offices.
I guess that
during BN’s decades in government, there was more tolerance and
Malaysians got along better with each other, even within the corridors
of power.
Not anymore. Today, we tend to pick on each other’s
faults and do not hesitate to show our intolerance, even publicly, of
our different beliefs and cultures.
Such behaviour can only stem
from misunderstandings, a lack of empathy, and a narrow perspective.
Sadly, we have digressed in this race relations when we should have
progressed.
This is something which the Madani government of Prime Minister Anwar
Ibrahim has to seriously look into and find holistic measures to quell
this worsening race relations and religious bigotry in the country.
Or
are some of his cabinet members, political operatives, and those
lurking around the corridors of Putrajaya part of the problem? If so,
then Malaysia is screwed big time!
The anonymous accuser
For
the retired deputy DG in Tiong’s crosshairs, the ex-senior civil
servant should have taken the lead in promoting tolerance,
understanding, and open-mindedness to build a more inclusive and
harmonious society. Yes, even in retirement.
Health Ministry
No,
he didn’t. Instead, he saw it fit to lash out at a sitting minister
over what I would describe as a penchant of his kind who just relish
lording over others, exerting their might and superiority in the
process.
Tiong acted correctly to challenge his critics to reveal
themselves and meet with him at the ministry within two weeks to resolve
the matter.
“Let me be clear to those with hidden self-agenda as I
have shown all these baseless messages to my secretary-general and
deputy minister, and revealed this ridiculous issue to the ministry in
an internal meeting: I will not compromise with doing the right thing,”
the minister stressed.
Drinking and dancing
Some time ago, I also defended Tiong in my column in the Sarawak Tribune, writing that if Tiong performs as a minister, what is drinking and dancing?
This was after a PAS lawmaker chided the minister for his alleged public misdemeanour of dancing and drinking with his constituents at a longhouse event in Sarawak.
Today,
let me repeat. If Tiong performs and carries out his responsibilities
well as a minister, he is entitled to eat as much as he wants and drink
to his heart’s content.
But watch the waistline, minister. That’s
not very healthy. Perhaps, eating and drinking less is not a bad idea.
Just keep on dancing and sweat it out.
