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."
Madani vs P Ramasamy By Commander S THAYAPARAN (Retired) Royal Malaysian Navy
Sunday, May 18, 2025
Malaysiakini : News of the charges against Ramasamy has brought out the schadenfreude
(malicious glee) of some sycophantic DAP supporters, who believe he
betrayed the party because he was rejected by the mandarins in power.
This is to be expected, but of course, the idea of reforms, which was supposed to be the raison dāĆŖtre of DAP and Pakatan Harapan, has been tossed aside in favour of replicating BN-era politics and policies.
I
suspect the reason why there is so much vitriol against Ramasamy is
because, when he left DAP, he has been saying what many non-Malays
believe or, more importantly, feel about politics in this country.
Those
of us who knew that the political parties promising reform were merely
gaslighting the base got the proof we needed, while those who still
wanted to believe in reform were angry that someone who was part of the
system was now turning against it for supposedly selfish reasons.
A system of goodies
Indian
political operatives are told to be grateful for whatever positions
they achieve in DAP. They are reminded by the base that the only reason
they are there is because they were voted in by the Chinese community.
Former Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto
You
can observe this on news sites and 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
This
is not a good line of attack because it exposes the reality that
political operatives benefit from a system of goodies and that their
effort and drive in politics are geared towards sustaining this position
of privilege instead of serving the rakyat.
Non-Malay political
operatives cannibalise each other for the benefit of maintaining a place
on the Malay uber alles table instead of securing a place under the
Malaysian sun, which is the social contract of Malaysian political life.
To
go after Ramasamy in such an overt manner means what heās saying is
gaining traction. After all, the Malay uber alles types really do not
care what he says or does, because heās just ammo for them against
Harapan.
But
for the Harapan component of this government, Ramasamy, even though he
speaks of the Indian community, is shining a spotlight on the failures
of the coalition to live up to its secular and democratic values.
The
fact that he was part of the system means he knows how he helped the
system fail and how to course correct it, but of course all this is lost
on those DAP supporters who believe that either DAP/Harapan can do no
wrong or that voting for DAP/Harapan is the only alternative to the
green wave.
Frivolous charges, political persecution
What
Madani pinned on Ramasamy is extremely suspect. Ramasamyās lawyer, as
reported in the press, said the Penang Hindu Endowments Board (PHEB)ās
accounts were audited yearly by the auditor-general and were given clean
certificates.
Former DAP MP for Klang Charles Santiago
He wondered why it took so many years for these āred flagsā to be detected. āThese charges are frivolous,ā he said.
Charles
Santiago, a loyal DAP soldier, reminded the peanut gallery, āThe
allegations levelled against Ramasamy were nothing new and had been
brought to MACCās attention previously.ā
This should make any
rational Malaysian wonder how much DAP is complicit in this alleged
political persecution. Ramasamy, as reported in the press, pointed out
that PHEBās decisions were made collectively by the board. āEvery
payment had the boardās approval. Iām not the only signatory,ā he said.
All
of this is made worse by the fact that MACC is probably one of the most
untrusted public institutions in this country. Even PKR vice-president
Nurul Izzah Anwar, daughter of the current prime minister and a step
away from power, said the contract extension of MACC head honcho Azam
Baki was unwelcome.
āThe
party (PKR) needs to stand for reforms - and we require the support of
the rakyat and our members to do this. We ask brave and courageous civil
servants and personalities to rise to the occasion,ā she said.
There
is really no genuine reason to believe that either Nurul Izzah or this
government wants to reform the MACC. It has come to a point where nobody
is even pretending anymore. This is all about who holds on to power,
and the non-Malays are merely the vote bank of a coalition which knows
it is imploding.
Going after Ramasamy merely gives him a louder
platform and the relevancy he needs to keep stoking agitations in the
Indian, but more importantly, the non-Malay community. However, I doubt
that the non-Malay community, which is the base of Harapan, is going to
abandon the coalition.
Ramasamy, meanwhile, is taking this
opportunity to grab the spotlight on what he considers a reckoning of
the system he served for decades, but as an opportunity to gather more
to his banner.
Speaking to reporters after his first day in court,
he said, āCharging me (in court) is actually a blessing because I think
Urimai is going to be more popular.ā
