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."
Will Zahid's gamble pay off or tank? By P Gunasegaram
Tuesday, October 11, 2022
Malaysiakini : But in the final analysis, he wasnāt man enough to stand up to the Umno crowd who wanted an early election.
That the Agong has assented to the dissolution indicates His Majestyās discretion has been exercised in favour of the executive.
That
shows the ruler is not prepared to go against the recommendations of
the prime minister which may be in line with His Majestyās position as a
constitutional monarch.
An early election would benefit, not
Umno, not the country, not the people, not Ismail Sabri, but Umno
president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (above, left)and his allies -
whose court cases are likely to be concluded before the end of this
year, with a possible conviction which will lose him his post as Umno
chief.
Thatās why the elections are so important for Zahid. If Umno wins big
and Zahid becomes the prime minister, then that changes the equation in
his favour.
As PM, or at least as a person who will influence
whoever might be PM, Zahid will have considerable power, so much so, he
may affect the course of the court cases against him.
Zahidās greater influence
Remember
the Registrar of Societies already ruled that the move to hold Umnoās
party elections up to six months after the general elections is legal.
That will mean Zahid stays as Umno president up to then.
And
before the election, as Umno president, Zahid will have more influence
than anyone else as to who stands for which seat, which will ensure his
supporters are the ones who will, by and large, come into power.
That
will concomitantly benefit all those Umno stalwarts within the court
cluster, of which the main one is former PM and Zahidās predecessor as
president of Umno, Najib Abdul Razak, who is convicted and now in jail
and who has already sought a royal pardon.
That raises the spectre
of a possible pardon for Najib even before he has served a reasonable
time in prison. Najib faces several other potentially more serious
charges in court proceedings which are ongoing, and which could result
in long prison sentences.
If, however, the election were held next
year, Zahid will be disqualified from holding office if he is convicted
in the meantime, which may result in Umno deputy president Mohamad
Hasan succeeding him.
Ismail Sabri, as the party vice-president with the largest number of
votes, will probably rise to become deputy president under this
scenario.
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announcing dissolution of Parliament
Thus,
an early election is not in the interest of Ismail Sabri or even Umno
because it benefits only the court cluster within Umno.
It is
extremely worrisome that these people have succeeded in their quest for
an early election for it will be the worst parts of Umno who are likely
to be in power if they come out on top after the 15th general election.
At
the same time, holding a general election in the midst of what is
potentially a bad monsoon period is likely to have a severe and
unforgiving backlash against Umno by the electorate, and the very
electorate that Umno is banking on to win.
It is the east coast
states and the Malay heartland which are most likely to be affected by
the impending monsoons and it is these regions where voter turnout is
likely to be low.
But it will be presumptuous to assume those who turn out to vote will pick Umno under the circumstances - they may not.
Gamble may favour Harapan
It
is a massive, needless wager that Umno is taking. Pakatan Harapan is
already reeling from a number of factors which are not likely to change
much if an election is held at the end of the full five-year
parliamentary term.
By holding an early election to save the skins
of Zahid and the court cluster, Umno has provided a useful rallying
point for Harapan - a corrupt Umno filled with corrupt leaders in
positions of power and influence who will stoop to anything to remain in
power, including picking the worst possible time for an election to be
held - right in the middle of a literal storm with torrential rain and
floods.
The outcome of Zahidās gamble, a winner-takes-all punt,
where he has bet the fate of the party and the nation to save his own
hide, will rest squarely in the hands of all of us Malaysians, monsoon
or no monsoon.
How can an electorate support such an irresponsible
and self-serving gang of leaders? How can they vote for an Umno which
puts them through this kind of difficulty?
And can anyone believe
that such a government, if by some twist of fate, comes into power, will
serve the people, or even the Malays? They have shown such disdain and
insensitivity towards the needs of the rakyat and instead a massive
self-interest.
At first glance, Zahid and Umno may well lose this
dangerous gamble, which will be the best possible outcome for the
country and the people right now, no matter what the other permutations
and combinations are.
