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."
Rafizi’s win augurs well for PKR and GE15 chances By P Gunasegaram
Tuesday, May 31, 2022
Malaysiakini : A video
produced barely two weeks before the May 2018 elections by one of our
social commentators, Alan Perera, who adroitly uses song and pictures to
send his messages across, exemplifies Rafizi’s role better than any
article can.
Raucous call
While there is a
raucous call by some for PKR president Anwar Ibrahim to step down and
make way for Rafizi, that’s not what Rafizi or the party wants. Anwar
was returned unopposed as PKR president after all, and Rafizi went for
the number two position. Is that not clear enough?
Rafizi Ramil and Anwar Ibrahim at 2018 PKR party congress
Any
move to dislodge Anwar at this stage from the top position will simply
lead to a split in the party which PKR simply cannot afford. Instead,
Anwar and Rafizi can offer a formidable combination to lead the charge
to wrest power from Umno and their allies.
Anwar still has
considerable stage presence and great oratory skills, and an ability to
move the crowd in a way that few can. What he needs is the right message
to the rakyat in terms of what his goals are and how he will achieve
them.
Rafizi is a thinker, an idealist even, who wants a better
deal for all but whose thinking is grounded on data. He is smart, has an
impressive biodata, was a
top student at various institutions including the Malay College at Kuala
Kangsar, and he has all the qualifications - an engineer and chartered
accountant, and top corporate responsibilities within the Petronas
group.
He is passionate, he is articulate, he is effective, and
perhaps most of all, straight and honest. He is one of the best
politicians, if not the best, around. He and his team, (three of the
four vice-presidents are from his camp) can give Anwar the plan and the
way to move forward and communicate it to a nation hungry for some
solutions to all the problems it is facing.
It is definitely wrong
to move against Anwar - strategically, logically, morally and
tactically. Strength is in unity and not one person upstaging the other
but using the power of the entire team. Rafizi knows that, which is why he went for the number two position.
What
is very clear is that there is now a succession plan within PKR, Rafizi
is the natural successor to Anwar and behind him is a very capable team
to rival the best in any of the other political parties - a younger
team which is free of the baggage of Umno links and who are by all
accounts, honest as well.
‘Holy trinity’
The
first order of the day is to forget about this big tent nonsense which
will simply group together people whose motives, backgrounds and most
importantly, track records, are rather suspect as I explained here. You don’t want to win GE15 and lose power like before. The lesson should have been learnt.
The
holy grail should be to just stick to the holy trinity of PKR, DAP and
Amanah - all else can stand on their own if they don’t want to join
these three parties and take their chances as to whether they will be
chosen. Talk about alliances and broader coalitions after the elections.
Common sense dictates that potential candidates and alliances
are not chosen with potential traitors - both within and outside the
party. PKR - and Harapan - must agree with one voice to work together
but alone with each other. No Muda, no Warisan, no Bersatu. The best is
to go with the three core parties and carefully chosen candidates to
minimise frogs.
The next order of business is to come up with a
strategy and tactical plan for execution, yes a manifesto too, which
would excite the rakyat. And shake them off their seeming indifference
to what is about to happen to them.
Surely most Malaysians can’t
be indifferent to who rules them - Anwar/Rafizi, Anthony Loke, and
Mohamad Sabu on the one hand and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Ismail Sabri
Yaakob, Najib Abdul Razak and Abdul Hadi Awang on the other.
Simply
press the message home effectively - tell the rakyat what they will
face if Umno and its allies are returned and what Harapan can give them
and why it will be better. And remember to target the right messages
depending on the interests of the groups targeted.
Time is of the
essence and it is necessary that PKR/Harapan get a move along right now.
If Rafizi is allowed to use his full organisational and strategic
capabilities, he will be a very valuable ally to Anwar and a winning
addition to the team who can help Harapan take the next elections.
