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 the loose cannon of Umno Youth be arrested? By Mariam Mokhtar
Saturday, March 30, 2024
Malaysiakini : The two men who were arrested, just because the vigilante groups disagreed with their opinions, should be freed.
There
are allegations that Akmal is flexing his muscles because he is part of
a grand design to topple the Madani administration, but that does not
justify Akmalās freedom from prosecution.
For two weeks Malaysians were feeling tense, wondering what would happen next. The arson attack on the Bidor outlet is hopefully the last of the unintended consequences of Akmalās hate speech.
Troublemakers
like Akmal need firm handling, but those in a position to do something
about it cherish their ministerial roles more than they want to uphold
justice.
In 2018, the shop assistants of a corner shop in Manjoi were forced by a group of Malays from a Muslim NGO to empty a liquor cabinet.
The
thugs were not punished by the newly installed Perak menteri besar at
the time, Ahmad Faizal Azumu. The troublemakers were not arrested and
probably felt emboldened when they escaped prosecution.
On the other hand, local business owners were filled with dread. There was no rule of law, just mob rule.
The
Manjoi shop had a liquor licence, but businesspeople wondered if
troublemakers would march into their shops and demand counter staff to
remove items that they felt had hurt their Muslim sensitivities.
KK Mart owner KK Chai and his wife Loh Siew Mui after being charged.
On March 13, KK Mart owner KK Chai issued an immediate apology soon
after he was told that socks bearing the word āAllahā were being sold
in his Bandar Sunway outlet.
Two days later, on March 15, the police said they were not launching an investigation as āno complaints had been lodged about itā.
The police subsequently changed their decision because, on March 16, Akmal took the unprecedented step of urging Malaysians to āteach KK Mart a lessonā.
He
said if the police could not investigate because there was no report,
then Umno Youth members throughout Malaysia would file a police report
from that day on.
It looked as though Akmal viewed the policeās statement as a dare. He was challenged and wanted to prove his courage.
He
said, āCome on all Malaysians, letās show these brazen people that this
country still has people who can teach them a lesson.ā
Umno Baru bravado
If Akmal knows the history of Umno Baru, many former leaders displayed mock courage by silatgroup displays or brandishing the keris at Umno Baru gatherings while making racist demands.
They
have now vanished into obscurity or are safely tucked away in prison.
People like the convicted felon Najib Abdul Razak, or Hishammuddin Hussein and Khairy Jamaluddin.
Former Umno leader Hishammuddin Hussein
Akmal
likes to speak his mind bluntly but in the latest socks scandal, he
ignored the consequences of his racist rhetoric. He is the loose cannon
of Umno Youth and despite the apology from KK Chai, Akmal refused to see
reason. Instead, he blamed KK Mart for insulting Islam.
He gave everyone the impression that only he was the true hero of the Malays and defender of Islam.
He
inflamed Malaysians with his hate speech. His relentless attack on KK
Mart had the potential to trigger the āpolitics of hatred and divisionā
in Malaysia.
He ignored the advice and warnings of many people who
ranged from current to former ministers, the boss of Mydin stores,
lawyers and other prominent Malaysians.
Akmal ignored them. Driven by his ego and stubbornness, Akmal refused to think about the consequences of his arrogance.
What
we predicted and what the rakyat feared most finally happened. It was
an arson attack. A petrol bomb was thrown at a KK Mart store in Bidor,
Perak, at 5am on March 26, and by sheer luck, the Molotov cocktail
failed to ignite.
No one was injured or killed, but the fact remains that Akmal should be held responsible for spreading this hatred.
From
the outset, he failed to recognise his actions were serious. He failed
to show leadership. He failed to act responsibly and put peopleās lives
at risk.
Akmal should resign as Umno Youth chief and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim should acknowledge the only way to neutralise thugs like Akmal is to isolate and punish them.
Anwar may yet win more votes by being firm and decisive.
