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."
Artist and activist Fahmi Reza holds his artwork bearing an image of former prime minister Najib Razak
In Kelantan, the destruction of Orang Asli ancestral land and the environment in Gua Musang to make way for a hydro-electric dam
are also the results of institutional failure. The raiding of lands
used by farmers for decades to plant their crops is an undermining of
human rights and endangers food security.
But standing tall in our
list of institutional failures is endemic corruption, crushing the very
soul of the nation and making us so much less than what we ought to be.
Thus,
the Federal Constitution, human rights, fundamental liberties and
strong institutions are not just for esoteric discussions.
They
impact not just bread-and-butter issues but also our very lives and
existence. We are a nation built on the rule of law with a system of
governance that must accord with it. We must also have regard for our
international obligations.
Who stands to gain?
Our
institutions matter, and it is therefore incumbent on all of us to be
vigilant in protecting and maintaining them. Strong institutions keep us
safe. Their importance is all the more evident when they are
compromised or undermined by those who are wrongfully seeking personal
benefit and power.
In the last few weeks, we have seen a wrecking
ball taken to two important institutions in this country. The judiciary
(the third arm of government and the protector of the people) and the
Securities Commission, that regulates and protects capital markets and
investments in this country.
As someone who has lived through the 1988 judicial crisis and the assault on fundamental freedoms, I am genuinely fearful that we are being dragged back to those dark days.
Institutions
are under attack just for carrying out their functions in accordance
with the law. Other institutions seem to be aiding and abetting the
wrongdoers.
Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak (far left) and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (centre) in court
A
small merry band of marauders are pulling out all the stops because of
the pressure of time. For some, it is jail time. For others, it is
election time.
One only has to ask the question as to who benefits from these acts to know who is likely behind them.
'Stand up and be counted'
The
tragedy of what is happening is that honest people who did their jobs
are being put through a grinder for it. That too, by the people who
donāt know the meaning of the word honest.
If we allow the honest
to be railroaded and bullied by the dishonest, what does that make us?
Complicit? Can anyone then blame these upright individuals for never
wanting to serve in public office?
What is perceptible is that,
whilst in the past, there was always an attempt to disguise these
nefarious activities, the current machinations are blatant. There is no
attempt to disguise what they are doing.
They know that Malaysians
are exhausted and perhaps even numb after the crises of Covid-19, the
floods and the political trauma that have plagued us since GE14. They
are counting on our silence.
When one speaks of institutions, I
would include our international obligations, particularly as Malaysia
sits on the Human Rights Council for the third time.
Mahatma
Gandhi said, āThe true measure of any society can be found in how it
treats its most vulnerable members.ā The uplifting of the weakest in
society, uplifts the whole of society. They include the homeless,
refugees, the LGBTQ, migrants and other communities. How we treat them
reflects on us as a society.
Shockingly, despite our sitting on
the Human Rights Council, our treatment of vulnerable communities is
appalling and, in most instances, highly embarrassing. Malaysia must
grow up and be counted in the international community by signing more
international conventions and acting on them.
Change our future
Luckily,
ordinary Malaysians have shown we are capable of great humanitarian
efforts. In times of crisis, Malaysians rose to the occasion putting the
authorities to shame. āKita Jaga Kitaā was a reality when Malaysians
helped everyone in need regardless of colour, creed or religion.
Pakatan Harapan had its flaws, and I called them out often when the coalition was in power (see here and here for examples). However, it is because of Harapan we have a courageous and honest chief justice and a strong judiciary today.
We
had a strong Securities Commission. We also had many highly qualified,
honest and competent people appointed to important positions, which
included a record number of women. Many of them were removed when the
Harapan government collapsed.
Are we ready to go back to the dark
old days? I donāt believe we are. We must, therefore, be vigilant in
protecting our institutions. We must care. Donāt forget, we brought
change in 2018 when our institutions were compromised. We can do it
again. We must all care enough to vote in the next election for a better
nation.
Remember, every one of you over 18 is automatically registered to vote. All you have to do is to exercise that precious right.
