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."
COMMENT - Lies, more godamned lies after the citizenship charade got exposed By R Nadeswaran
Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Malaysiakini : Three days later, Saifuddin assured
the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) that it had nothing to fear
over claims of doctored papers for the players - as long as the related
processes followed existing laws.
Then, on Oct 9, when it appeared
that none of the players had met the minimum residency period to
qualify, Saifuddin told the Dewan Rakyat that he had exercised his power granted under the Federal Constitution to consider the seven footballers fit to be granted Malaysian citizenship.
Saifuddin
said Section 20(1)(e) provides discretionary power to a home minister
when considering a citizenship application from a foreigner,
particularly in the fulfilment of the minimum residency requirements.
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail
But this was flawed, and there was an immediate retort
from Lawyers for Liberty adviser Eric Paulsen, who explained that the
legal provision referenced by Saifuddin relates to calculating the
period of residence for persons who have already resided in the country
for a certain number of years when applying for citizenship.
At
the same Parliament session, Saifuddin revealed that 23 foreigners had
been made citizens by naturalisation since 2018, a figure never made
public before.
He insisted they underwent a lawful and transparent
process in full compliance with the Federal Constitution. But was he
stretching the truth?
EAIC’s findings
On July 10, the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) concluded that in the case of the seven players, citizenship approvals were rushed through in an unusually short period.
Entry permits were issued without proper interviews or security screenings, and the Malay language test was mishandled.
On
July 12, still in denial mode, the ministry issued a statement
accepting the recommendations for improvement to the process of managing
citizenship applications by naturalisation.
The
Home Ministry stated: “The ministry always respects the checks and
balances function of institutions established under the law and will
examine every recommendation submitted for the purpose of strengthening
the public service delivery system and the ministry’s governance.”
But
where were these checks and balances then? On Sept 19 last year,
National Registration Department (NRD) director-general Badrul Hisham
Alias, in a statutory declaration to Fifa, stated
that the players submitted documents listing their grandparents’
details, conducted cross-verification, and received supporting documents
from Argentina, Brazil, and Spain.
National Registration Department director-general Badrul Hisham Alias
“However,
original handwritten birth records couldn’t be retrieved. Instead,
official copies were issued based on secondary evidence,” he said, but
what secondary evidence was adduced and from where?
What documents
did it receive from these countries? If they had been birth
certificates of the grandparents, NRD would have known none of them were
born in Malaysia.
Side-stepping fundamental issue
But
the Home Ministry’s statement side-stepped a fundamental issue. It said
that the discretionary power over citizenship applications is subject
to the provisions of the Federal Constitution and is exercised with due
care, taking into account various factors, including public interest,
national security, and the facts of each case.
The ministry said
it would examine the findings and, together with relevant agencies,
including the NRD, the Immigration Department, and the police, would
identify appropriate areas for improvement.
These include aspects
of strengthening standard operating procedures, documentation,
coordination of work processes, as well as governance mechanisms that
are aligned with best practices in the public service.
Really?
Does the minister have the power to exempt the residency period and
issue citizenship within 40 days instead of 10 years?
Why
then the rebuke from EAIC? Does it also mean that the NRD did not
coordinate with the police and the immigration authorities regarding the
seven players? Then who did the security vetting as required by the
law?
So, the inevitable question is: Did successive home ministers exercise a power they did not have under the Constitution?
Data debunks minister
Twentytwo13.com,
a news portal that specialises in sports and related activities,
compiled data based on information available in the public domain.
What
is startling is that while Saifuddin continues the charade of
“underwent a lawful and transparent process in full compliance with the
Federal Constitution”, this table counters that claim.
None would
have met the 10-year requirement, and it goes to show that the
citizenships of these journeymen were fast-tracked, albeit illegally (or
improperly - the polite terminology used by the EAIC).
Take the case of Briton Lee Tuck, who had been playing football in Malaysia since 2017.
Lee Tuck
On
Merdeka Day, 2022, he announced on Instagram that he had become a
naturalised Malaysian citizen. Six months later, he represented Malaysia
in the Asean Football Championship, producing a Malaysian passport.
Where
is he now? After that, he packed his bags and left for Halifax,
England, midway through the season to focus on his real estate career,
but still feels there’s money to be earned in Malaysia and suggested he
would return.
“Currently, I am not playing for any club.
Terengganu are a great club, and I have many fond memories. My daughters
were born in Kuala Terengganu, so it’s a very special place for our
family.
“Thus, I am ready to wear the Terengganu jersey if there is an offer from the team,” New Straits Times quoted him as saying on Feb 27, 2024.
Best of both worlds
Dual
citizenship enables journeymen to enjoy the best of two worlds! No
allegiance, no patriotism, no loyalty, no commitment. Period.
Again,
the same question has to be repeated: Did Tuck and the others surrender
the passports issued by the country of origin, and have they revoked
their citizenship elsewhere because Malaysia does not recognise dual
citizenship?
The time has come for everyone involved - the FAM,
the Youth and Sports Ministry, the sports commissioners, the NRD, and
especially the minister, to come clean by placing all cards on the
table.
They cannot go on dishing out fictitious information or telling tall tales.
Now,
the final and most important questions: Will the citizenships of the 23
players be revoked because they did not meet the residency period?
Secondly,
have they all given up their citizenship from other countries and
submitted their passports to the authorities as required?
Or are some of them having one leg in two countries and enjoying the best of both worlds?
This
scandal is not just football. It is about accountability. Taxpayers
have been misled by shifting narratives, half-truths, and contradictory
announcements - many of which have now been exposed by the EAIC.
Each misleading claim has chipped away at trust in the institutions charged with safeguarding the Constitution.
Respect constitutional recognition
Citizenship
is not a ministerial favour or a sporting shortcut. It is a
constitutional recognition of belonging, and its integrity must be
protected.
When approvals are rushed, rules bent, and oversight
ignored, the cost is borne by ordinary Malaysians who expect honesty and
transparency from their leaders.
The time has come for systemic
accountability. Officials must stop hiding behind legalese and
half-truths. They must disclose the full facts, accept responsibility,
and commit to reforms that ensure citizenship is never again treated as a
bargaining chip.
The
taxpayers whose RM30 million went to the FAM for “boosting” the
national team contributed indirectly to this fiasco, and we have a right
to demand and get the truth.
Accountability is not optional - it
is owed. Malaysians have been misled by half-truths, contradictory
announcements, and evasive statements, all of which the EAIC has now
exposed.
The institutions involved must face the public with
honesty. Taxpayers deserve the truth, not tall tales. Integrity,
transparency, and accountability were promised as the foundation of
governance.
Delivering on those promises is the only way to
restore trust. Although the process should have begun on day one when
Fifa’s disciplinary committee made public its findings, it is still not
too late.
