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."
Strange bedfellows but anything can happen for power By R Nadeswaran
Thursday, October 27, 2022
Malaysiakini : Shamelessly, he said he initiated the move to stop Harapan and discussed how to oust the coalition with Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin and later with Umno leaders.
āAfter
three of us came to a consensus, Muhyiddin announced that Bersatu was
leaving Harapan. Thatās when I proposed that he be made the next prime
minister,ā HarakahDaily reported Hadi as saying at an ummah unity event in Kota Bharu, Kelantan.
But
this is not the complete picture. There were sweeteners to the deal
which only surfaced two months after those tumultuous days.
In May 2020, in an audio recording
that went viral, a man whose voice resembles that of Muhyiddin was
heard saying that Umno MPs can be enticed to join Bersatu if they are
offered ministerships or posts in government-linked companies (GLCs).
āIf they know a new government is being formed, with Umno in, āWhy
donāt you (Umno MPs) join in now, why donāt you join us now, rather than
you join later?āā
That perhaps explains the ministerial appointments and some barely competent people sitting on the boards of companies.
Justifying treachery
Why
would these leaders do such a thing? When they have no legitimate
reason, thereās always something in Malaysia called āuntuk agama dan
bangsaā (for race and religion).
They want their heroics, or
whatever they call it, to be viewed by the rural heartland that they
stood up in the name of race and religion. There is a toss-up between
Hadi and Muhyiddin as to who gets the gold medal for treachery, but now
that they are in the same camp, honours can be shared.
Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin (left) and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang
When
a leader declares he is Malay first and Malaysian next, thereās little
explanation needed and the perpetrators brazenly declare there is no
shame in being labeled as a traitor.
To explain why he colluded with Umno, which previously expelled him
from the party, Muhyiddin can say he did so as the situation in the
Harapan government did not align with his political beliefs.
But what about the beliefs of the majority who voted for the Harapan
government? Do one manās beliefs supersede those of the majority?
It
could not be done above board so Muhyiddin ābribedā MPs in the form of
ministerial posts and GLC appointments to bolster his move.
For race, religion, or personal benefit ā monetary and otherwise? You, the discerning reader, will have to decide.
All the talk about ārace and religionā is now down to personal liberty and materialistic gains.
These
days, it is no longer a benefit of being united. It is a matter of
personal survival. Some want to stay out of prison and some are on the list, according to Umno chief Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Others want to continue to enjoy the perks and opulence that come with the office, others want to increase their bank balance.
Friends to enemies to friends again?
Muhyiddin says Umno-led BN is now his partyās āmain enemyā. Umno president Zahid has warned MPs to be wary of Muhyiddinās treachery.
Elsewhere, Zahid branded PAS as āpak lebaiā, accusing the partyās leaders of being hypocrites - saying different things at different times of the day.
PAS vice-president Amar Nik Abdullahās retort had some semblance of truth - that there are harsher labels than āpak lebaiā.
āFor
us, being referred to as āParti Pak Lebaiā is not insulting,ā adding
that at least PAS was not a party of āpolitical banditsā, in an apparent
reference to Umno leaders facing corruption cases in court.
Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (left) and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang
The
shouting matches - name-calling, affixing of labels, and character
assassination will continue despite the advice of the Yang di-Pertuan
Agong who wanted all parties to remain civil.
What is not surprising is that two infamous words ā kafir (unbeliever) and pendatang
(immigrant) ā have yet to surface. It is election time and āwe are
familyā, they would say. This is for now, but on Nov 20, one day after
polling day, it will be back to the same game.
But then, when
there is a need to consolidate power, everything is forgotten and for
Zahid, the support from the chief of parti pak lebai is worth its weight
in gold.
Would we see them embrace in front of TV cameras and
declare āuntuk perpaduan ummahā (for the unity of the Muslim comminity)?
They could be strange bedfellows but when it comes to power and the
money that comes with it, nothing is sacrosanct.
