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."
This was despite Anwarās continued āwarningsā,
including one in March, through his senior press secretary Tunku
Nashrul Abaidah, who noted sinister attempts by certain parties with
vested interests to create a perception of ādouble standardsā.
āAnwar
acknowledged that some parties with vested interests are attempting to
create the perception of double standards in law enforcement.
āThis
is a baseless accusation. Anyone who insults any religion in Malaysia
will be investigated and prosecuted accordingly,ā said Nashrul during
the Prime Ministerās Office daily briefing.
But religious zealots,
appointing themselves as protectors, have been vilifying non-believers,
thus dismantling the āfreedom to choose religionā clause enshrined in
the Constitution.
Not walking the talk
Consider
the evidence that fuels public cynicism. A politician brandishes a
samurai sword to intimidate the public and faces no consequences.
Meanwhile, a citizen criticising a religious law loses his job and is
investigated by the police.
Preachers Zamri Vinoth (left) and Zakir Naik
Recall
preacher Zakir Naikās incendiary remarks or preacher Zamri Vinothās
derogatory comments about Hindu worshipers. Instead of being held
accountable, such figures are often treated with deference and hailed as
defenders of faith.
Instead of being indicted, they are treated
with velvet gloves and treated as messiahs, and project themselves as
defenders of the religion.
These words will reverberate around the country for the wrong reasons. They would be shunned and described as another case of cakap tak serupa bikin
(not walking the talk). Such sentiments had been expressed over the
years by civil society leaders, academics, and concerned Malaysians,
including this writer.
In
his address, Anwar asked: āAre things already perfect? No. Smuggling
still exists, (but) the spirit of independence means defending and
liberating our nation from corruption, smuggling, and other illegal
activities (through) our determination to free ourselves and eliminate
such harmful practices.ā
But pray tell us, Mr Prime Minister, how can our nation be free of corruption?
Corruption cases
Fellow columnist P Gunasegaram provided an incisive analysis cum insight:
āThe credibility of Anwarās vow to battle corruption in Malaysia
crumbled to dust when deputy public prosecutor Dusuki Mokhtar asked for
and got a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) for 47
corruption and other charges against Anwarās deputy, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
āNot
only is this an irretrievable and irreversible setback to Anwarās
nascent but loud plan to crush corruption, it raises questions as to
whether multiple charges against former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak
may be similarly withdrawn by the prosecution on the same basis of
selective prosecution.ā
Tell us why only two people have been
charged for alleged involvement in the Sabah mining scandal when several
other prominent politicians were named and shamed?
Why are
politically connected persons allowed to get away with fines amounting
to less than half the bribes allegedly received? Segambut Bersatu deputy
chief Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad was cleared of 12 corruption and money
laundering charges related to the Jana Wibawa project after paying a
compound of RM4.1 million.
Segambut Bersatu deputy chief Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad
As Anwarās former deputy, Rafizi Ramli, asked: Can a poor person charged with a petty crime get the same deal as a VIP accused of a major financial crime?
āIf
regular people steal milk, the sentence is six months in jail. If VIPās
family members are accused of corruption, theft, they can pay it back
and then be let free.ā
There have been several instances of
non-action, and yet Anwar continues his rhetoric on corruption. If he is
branded as āNatoā (no action, talk only), accusations (bordering on
race) will be thrown, but all we can say is: Cut the crap and get down
to business - the same law and punishment for all wrongdoers.
