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."
NOV 29 — “The country is under threat! ... The liberals are three
steps away from burning your freedoms away... There will be violence if
Pakatan wins... There’ll be violence if Pakatan loses... There’ll be
violence if we don’t speak out against violence... Avert violence, vote
Umno, or else!” Sociologists of the future will undoubtedly mine the speeches of Umno
leaders for research into varied research areas like dysfunctional
personalities, Fascism, Freudian-based political insecurities, media
conditioning, subverting historical data to fit illogical constructs
and, my favourite, state-designed destruction of multiculturalism.
But till they do — which may not be long — or Hollywood releases a
movie on how hate has kept a party in power for half a century, the rest
of us have to settle for the peccadilloes emerging from the confines of
the PWTC labyrinth for the next few days, the hate-carnival commonly
referred to as the Umno general assembly. Dr M set the tone with “What would Pakatan do if they lost?” three days ago, and Umno women’s chief gave the other side of the coin, “What would Pakatan do if they won?” yesterday.
Both outcomes mean violence, so they say. Which then through a
process of elimination leaves us only with one possible situation in
which there is no violence; when there is no Pakatan. Umno is telling
the Malaysian people that the only time they can foresee no violence is
when no one stands in their way anymore.My niece is a smart girl, and she turns four tomorrow, and if I
explain to her what Umno wants is for Pakatan to vanish; she’d consider
it a short while, lower her voice which she does whenever she is about
disapprove and say, “Not good.”
Not good indeed, if democracy to the party leading the country for 50 years means no other party gets to replace them. Umno is moving closer and closer to saying to the Malaysian public
that the right to choose your own government is over-rated and when less
is heard from the people, the easier it is for them to get on with the
job of governing.
That familiar left jab
I’ve said it before, I don’t have an appetite for violence. It’s crude and nothing good ever comes from partaking in it. But I remember my childhood friend, who I just had drinks with over
the weekend in Borneo where he lives now. A year younger, his dad asked
me to look after him when he entered my secondary school — not many boys
from my neighbourhood attend my school. Ah Meng was also the only Chinese in my neighbourhood football team.
Every match we’d go to, he’d be a marked man. For in this nation racism
is so ingrained and encouraged from young that many try to hurt him in
challenges because they probably worked out that none of his team-mates
would stand up for him. I’d stand up for him. Many of us did. Because there is no such thing
as standing aside and letting your mate get mauled because of how he
looked. Even children know that, from my niece near the Swiss Alps to a
bunch of sweaty kids in cheap jerseys chasing a ball on awful fields on
Saturday mornings.
Demons
This year will not see a general election. The drama the prime
minister generates is just about keeping the whole country on edge so
that everyone is worn down. Mr Prime Minister, you might not want to
test the patience of your people indefinitely just to show that you and
your people have always been in power.While the PM’s closing speech for the assembly this year will be
filled with vitriol beyond comprehension and loud thundering applauses
within the giant hall, he might remind himself every dictator — as he
races to an airfield to flee — is perplexed by how those who have
apparently loved him so much have turned on him.
A government that runs a police and military, a stacked-up
paramilitary unit (RELA) and a subservient judiciary is scared of
shadows; that the millions of Malaysians with Astro units and expensive
hire-purchase automobile debts will somehow mount a violent uprising —
just because. Matey, switch off the telly, take some paracetamol pills, wash your
feet and go to bed. Leave a light on, in case the boogieman shows up.
Because you are hallucinating.
We won’t back down
The only thing the people of Malaysia have done in the past five
years and now with greater alacrity is to stand up for what they
believe. There are no pitchforks, just placards. A nation long silenced
is speaking out.There will be a general election in 2013, and life will go on after it. It’s just that the people of Malaysia will not camp inside their
nuclear bunkers for the next five years till the 14th general election.
The people have showed up, and they are going to keep showing up because surprise, surprise this is the new world order. But seriously, Umno has to spare itself long-term embarrassment, everything said now is going to public records. Why not come to terms with one key pillar of any democracy, that every party can lose power? It is the flagrant obtuseness of Umno leaders which is forcing all of
us into the ridiculous, and a world watches stunned at some of the
worst theatrics in the game of politics in living history.
I’ll help the Umno leadership understand where the country actually
stands right now — the rakyat will not be dictated to anymore,
irrespective of how the general election pans out. They won’t punch you Umno, they will just hold their ground. They won’t back down. You can punch if you want, Umno. The truth is, the people are stronger than Umno thought they were. And Umno is weaker than it thinks it is.
I’ve picked my spot in the line, though I do have the butterflies in
my stomach. But just as I have all my life, despite my own lack of
courage, I never let my mates down. I won’t do any punching, I’ll just
stand my ground. I won’t back down. All of us will. Of course in time we will know how many will make up the “us.” But please, enjoy your speeches for now. Malaysian Insider * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.
