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."
COMMENT - Selective enforcement and silence on racist, religious abuse By R Nadeswaran
Friday, April 24, 2026
Malaysiakini : Instead, MCMC is busy investigating
criticism of MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki. Muda member Luqman Long
posted a video containing allegedly āfake newsā, though speaking on
what is already in the public domain hardly fits that description. Is
Azam beyond criticism?
On
Tuesday, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil ordered MCMC to track
down a social media user who reposted a 2019 video clip. According to
him, the 109-second recording was deliberately reposted to cause anger.
True, people are angry - reminding the government of its many unfulfilled promises. Should that be an offence?
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director M Kumar
Last week, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director M Kumar noted that social media is increasingly used for seditious posts and provocative debates on government policies.
Such
trends, he said, could trigger community tension if not curbed. One
cannot disagree. However, what are the authorities doing about them? How
many more advisories will follow?
Race, religion, and royalty
(3R) are closely guarded. Yet while authorities are quick to arrest
certain sections of the community, others seem licensed to insult and
demean with impunity.
āDouble standardsā
I have written
before about double standards in enforcement: āThis is not inconsistent
enforcement; it is selective prosecution dressed in the language of
order.ā
In March last year, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, through his senior press secretary Tunku Nashrul Abaidah, warned
of sinister attempts by certain vested interests to create the
perception of ādouble standardsā in actions taken against those who
insult any religion.
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail
echoed the stand, reiterating that the police do not use favouritism or
double standards in investigating cases related to the 3R.
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail
But four days later, Saifuddin let the cat out of the bag.
He said that if Putrajaya strictly enforced 3R laws, āleaders from PAS would make up most of those implicated.ā
As he told Sinar Harian: āIf I or the police enforced the Penal Code, the CMA or other laws, they would be among the most frequently penalised.ā
So,
was he confirming that PAS members are treated with velvet gloves? Is
this why no action is taken against provocative 3R statements while
others are arrested, charged, and sentenced within days?
Law as political sword
Selective
prosecution is not a flaw in Malaysiaās enforcement regime - it is the
regime itself. The law is wielded not as a neutral instrument of justice
but as a political sword, cutting opponents while shielding certain
people.
When racist vitriol and religious incitement are
tolerated, yet criticism of governance is swiftly punished, the
hypocrisy is laid bare.
Saifuddinās
candid admission that strict enforcement would implicate PAS leaders is
not just a slip of the tongue; it is a confession of complicity.
This is why the public grows weary of āadvisoriesā and āremindersā that never translate into equal application of the law.
Each
silence in the face of racist abuse, each velvet-gloved treatment of
political allies, and each heavy-handed prosecution of dissenters erodes
trust in institutions.
The government insists there are no double
standards, yet its own ministers concede otherwise. This contradiction
is not a perception problem; it is a credibility crisis.
Malaysia
cannot claim to be building a āMadaniā society while tolerating
selective justice. A nation that prosecutes criticism but excuses
provocation is not protecting harmony; it is protecting power.
Until
the law is applied evenly, without fear or favour, every promise of
reform will remain hollow, every advisory will sound like theatre, and
every silence from the authorities will echo as complicity.
The
real scandal is not that selective prosecution exists - it is that
leaders admit it, defend it, and expect us to accept it as normal.
