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."
COMMENT - Is Anwar better for non-Malays, Malaysia? By P Gunasegaram
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Malaysiakini : A third party is already strongly allied with PAS, and also a PN member, Parti Wawasan Negara, led by Hamzah Zainudin.
He exited with 19 MPs from Muhyiddin Yassinās Bersatu - leaving the latter with just six MPs, a dispute with PAS, and probably on its way out.
Malaysiakini
reported: āOf those 23 seats (not contested by PAS), 13 are held by BN,
nine by Pakatan Harapan, and one by Muda. PAS, which currently controls
PN, has confirmed previously that it had been in talks with Umno to form an electoral pact to avoid multi-cornered fights in the state election.ā
PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has also instructed party members to vote for BN where PN is not contesting, which will be those 23 seats.
PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man
It
will defer a decision on whether it will support Bersatu in the state
polls. PAS has been at loggerheads with Bersatu and has stated that it
will not work with them.
A forerunner
This
electoral pact with Umno is very significant. It is likely a forerunner
to similar arrangements for the remaining general and state elections,
with PAS making way for Umno in states where it is weak and Umno
returning the favour.
PAS is also likely to make adjustments for Wawasan Negara,
whose leader Hamzah has sworn allegiance and expressed gratitude to the
redoubtable PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang - the one who might decide
the next prime minister - with Hamzah a possible candidate.
In the
Malay heartland states of Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, PAS
will lead the charge. In Selangor, it might be a mix of Umno/PAS, while
in the other states Umno will be dominant.
Hamzah Zainudin with PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang (right)
Thus, Malay support across Peninsular Malaysia will be apportioned to the two - Bersatu is a non-entity; PKR is fading away.
It
is quite a sobering and frightening wake-up call for Harapan,
especially PKR. However, it may be too late for them as they continue to
slumber while their opponents are toiling through the night to solidify
their positions.
They seem quite oblivious to the twin threats
posed by PAS/Umno on one combined flank and the newly emergent, dynamic
and hard-working Parti Bersama Malaysia.
The Bersama factor
Bersama is led by ex-MPs and former PKR top guns, the tireless duo of Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.
While
the duo has travelled up and down the country to campaign, and put up a
credible list to contest 15 state seats in Johor, Prime Minister Anwar
Ibrahim is rather lacklustre in contrast, preferring to spend valuable
campaign time on overseas trips, this time to Russia.
While
Anwarās PKR has previously relied on non-Malay support to get many
candidates through, this seems to have evaporated with Bersama likely to
take a lot away from PKR.
DAPās
less-than-promising stance has resulted in many calling it names -
unfairly perhaps - but their inability to push back against
non-Malay-unfriendly moves not just by Umno but PKR itself has lost it
significant support already.
The unfriendly moves include
regulations and poor decisions over places of worship, diminished
opportunities for deserving non-Malays, and the constant playing of the
race and religion card, especially by Umno Youth.
The moon and keris rise
In
contrast, Bersamaās promise to work for all races and all downtrodden,
with what amounts to a mini-manifesto on its website, continues to
attract attention and seems to resonate well with younger voters not
shackled by the baggage of the past.
It has a promising chance of
taking seats, especially from PKR and poses a threat to DAP as well. It
could cost DAP marginal seats if the youth decide to make a change in
call.
With the PAS moon on the ascendant and the Umno keris rising
in a coordinated attack, not wasting efforts by fighting each other,
Malay support for PKR is likely to be all but extinguished this round.
With
Bersama a threat to urban Harapan dominance and an Umno/PAS pact in the
rural areas and other strongly Malay areas, Harapan and especially PKR
may suffer a pincer attack which will put it out of commission at GE 16.
DAP
may not get the 40 MP seats it has now. If it has any pride, it will
languish in opposition, eschewing a place in the new coalition.
With the outlook for PKR and Amanah bleak, itās hard to see how Anwarās Madani government, sans Umno, can rule again.
It
is a plaintive lesson in the importance of choosing friends carefully
and keeping them at armās length if they are less than trustworthy.
One forgets at their own peril that Umno is a master of being in government, even if they do not have the voting power.
To
answer the heading for this article, it does not matter anymore. Almost
certainly Anwar will not be given the chance to form the next
government - that privilege is likely to move to PN/BN, the coalition
most likely to get the most number of seats.
Once they get the
privilege, itās a done deal with some horse-trading with the states
across the South China Sea, Sabah and Sarawak, who are likely to go with
the majority decision in the peninsula.
I
donāt think Islamic law will be introduced for all - apart from the
impact on foreign direct investment and sentiment, some 40 percent of
the population is non-Muslim.
It is a move which wonāt be
supported by Sabah and Sarawak. They wonāt get a two-thirds majority in
the Dewan Rakyat for the laws to be passed.
Sadly, neither Malays
nor non-Malays, east or west - all Malaysians in other words - will
benefit because the old guard with their deadwood, decrepit politicians
and patronage practices will still be in power. Nothing will change for
now.
For change, we may have to support somebody else who is in it
for the long term. Yes, Bersama, hopefully they get enough support to
stay and fight for another day. No, I am not making any predictions -
let whatever comes be a surprise.
