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."
Selective enforcement fuelling religious tensions By R Nadeswaran
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Malaysiakini : However, over the years, I have addressed issues, including a commentary on unwarranted religious overreach, which undermines the government itself.
Ambiguity fanning the flames of vigilantism
Even
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s carefully crafted speeches - eloquent
but sometimes evasive, perhaps for political expediency - have done
little to cool the flames.
On the contrary, he has left some of them open to misinterpretation. For example, activist Tamim Dahri, who was arrested after demolishing a temple
in Rawang, Selangor, claimed that the structure was cleared following
Anwar’s call to “clean up” places of worship that were erected in
violation of the law.
But this action did not go unanswered. On
social media, there was a direct but crude response: “Anyone step into
another temple to demolish. We have no choice but to defend! Police to
uphold law and order.”
Partially demolished temple in Rawang, Selangor, February 2026
Although Anwar’s directive was to the local government authorities, the sense of vigilantism seemed to have reared its ugly head.
When
will this acrimony, anger, and religious might end? Enough advice,
admonishments, and warnings have already been dished out. What we need
is action. But will the law be applied and enforced fairly and
uniformly?
The time for platitudes has passed. Fires do not
extinguish themselves, and mobs do not retreat without firm boundaries.
If laws exist, they must be applied fairly, without fear or favour, and
without selective enforcement that emboldens one group while silencing
another.
Malaysia cannot continue to walk this dangerous tightrope
where race and religion are weaponised for political gain. Each time
leaders hesitate, each time enforcement is uneven, the flames grow
stronger, and the mob grows bolder.
The
velvet-glove treatment of some and iron-fisted punishment of others has
created a climate of impunity in which opportunists thrive, and
ordinary citizens lose faith in the system.
Rule of law or selective enforcement
Anwar has spoken of freedom of expression and the rule of law, but words alone are no longer enough.
The
government must demonstrate that justice is blind, that no one is above
the law, and that threats to peace will be met with decisive,
consistent action. Otherwise, the promise of reform risks being consumed
by the very fire it seeks to control.
Poster for a rally against illegal houses of worship
The
fight has now shifted to the volatile arena of social media, where
boundaries vanish and laws, written or unwritten, seem absent.
Legally,
Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998
criminalises the improper use of network facilities or services,
including creating or sharing content that is obscene, indecent, false,
menacing, or offensive with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or
harass.
It carries penalties of fines up to RM50,000, imprisonment
for up to one year, or both. But who is afraid of the law when it is
not applied or enforced fairly?
We have seen velvet-glove
treatment accorded to some, while others are met with iron-fisted
action. This double standard has only fueled the rise and tempo of
threats, insults, intimidation, and provocation - spreading unchecked,
and exploited by opportunists eager to fan the fire.
