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."
Enflaming brewery donations par for the course for PAS By R Nadeswaran
Thursday, July 25, 2024
Malaysiakini : Why is the issue being resurrected?
For over
30 years, breweries in Malaysia have been raising money for vernacular
schools and charitable organisations without a fuss.
Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said Tiger Beer raised over RM400 million for Chinese primary schools in that period.
But
last week, the Education Ministry raised a related issue: “The ministry
takes this seriously, and we wish to remind school administrators to
adhere to existing guidelines when it comes to organising programmes and
receiving donations.
“And this covers the prohibition of
receiving donations from gains made through gambling activities,
cigarette manufacturers, alcoholic beverage makers, and its likes as
they could jeopardise our students physically, intellectually.”
Why
the resurrection after all these years? The practice has been going on
for 30 years without any problems. When religion is intertwined with
politics, the whole issue takes a different and, perhaps, a dangerous
dimension.
What prompted it was a group photograph of a
presentation mock cheque with the brewery company logo on it. Deputy
Housing and Local Government Minister Aiman Athirah Sabu was among the
dozen people in it.
Selangor PAS Youth chief Mohamed Sukri Omar (top pic) took to Facebook to criticise Aiman, calling the matter an embarrassment.
“If
this is how an Amanah leader is going to behave, Islam’s sanctity will
be under threat by liberalisation masked as Islam,” he said on Facebook.
How does holding a piece of cardboard with a beer logo pose a threat or challenge the purity of a religion?
Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Aiman Athirah Sabu
This
happens when two parties compete to see whose shade of green is
brighter. The party that shouts louder wins, regardless of how illogical
or irrational their conduct is.
Instead of standing on her ground, Aiman issued a condescending apology.
“I
believe people understand the situation and will not fall for the
slander being spread. People make mistakes, and in any case, I apologise
to those who may have been slighted by this,” Sinar Harian reported her as saying.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said he would seek the cabinet’s view about revising the ministry’s guidelines at the cabinet meeting today.
“The
guideline should not have such restrictions, at least not for Chinese
primary schools,” he said. However, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek
ruled out providing exemptions or reviewing guidelines that bar schools
from receiving funds generated from selling tobacco products and
alcoholic beverages.
So, will the issue be discussed and debated
or will the Madani government bow to the wishes of the majority who use
race and religion to pander to the Malay-Muslim electorate?
