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."
Umno unity calls ring hollow with spectre of sabotage by Nigel Aw
Monday, December 03, 2012
Every year, the Umno general assembly is a colourful military-precision
display of unity and organisation. But underlying the careful
choreography in this yearās meet is the partyās pressing problem that
has become all too apparent - internal sabotage. Although
several party officials broached on the prickly subject during the
five-day conference, the job of imploring everyone to be on the same
page fell on party president Najib Abdul Razak.
Almost
the entire first half of his 45-minute closing speech was spent
building his case for party members to accept his choice of "winnable
candidates" for the coming general election.
This included name
dropping two former premiers - Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi - labouring to impress the audience how the two had to sacrifice
themselves for the greater good of the party.
Capping his
extended sales pitch Najib continued the tradition started by his deputy
Muhyiddin Yassin at the last general assembly, in leading delegates in
an endless loyalty oath and prayer that eventually lost steam.
Najibās
predicament is notable as previously, local party leaders had much
clout in determining the choice of candidates. The system usually meant
that many leaders could nominate themselves repeatedly, even if it was
to the detriment of Umno's chances at the polls.
But the clock
is ticking for Najib to rein in disgruntled local leaders, as polls are
expected to be called in four months at the most.
Fractured Umno no secret
According
to political analyst Wan Saiful Wan Jan, Najib's plan to reform the
candidate selection process is clearly facing inertia and that there was
a disconnect between the top leadership and local leaders.
"It is a public (open) secret that there are many camps in Umno, all paying loyalty to different leaders.
"It
is known that if one individual aligned to a particular group (becomes
the candidate), the other groups may rebel by not helping out (in the
general election)," he told Malaysiakini when contacted today.
Wan
Saiful said that factionalism was apparent even during the AGM, as most
of those who were given the opportunity to speak belonged to the old
guard.
According to Wan Saiful, Najib will face a big challenge
in discarding the old guard in order for his candidates plan to work
because of the inherent largesse that comes with power.
"The
wealth structure of Umno leadership is closely linked to the power
structure. They stand to lose a lot by losing power because it is tied
with business. "Najib knows he needs to put in new faces or else
the electorate will punish him. But if he gets rid of the old guard,
party members may punish him. So it's a balancing act," he said. Candidate hopefuls on eggshells With
division leaders now unable to exert much influence on candidacy,
delegates are left guessing who would earn candidacy in the next polls
as Najib is keeping his cards close to his chest. This perhaps
also explains the tame nature of the 66th Umno general assembly, as
delegates steered clear of controversial issues that may generate
friction with other BN component parties or offend racial sensitivities,
lest it jeopardise their āwinnable candidateā chances.
Even the "Hidup Melayu (Long
live the Malays)" chants occurred with far less frequency than at
previous AGMs. Most top leaders used the more race-neutral "Hidup Umno", "Hidup BN" and "Hidup Malaysia" to cap off their respective speeches.
"We
do not want to focus too much on Malay issues because we know the
government had always given attention to Malays and other races.
"Right
now, we want to focus more on the future, and Malaysia's future is
after the general election," Jasin Umno representative Roslan Ahmad told
Malaysiakini today when contacted.
Instead, delegates took aim
at what they described as the "unholy trinity" in Pakatan Rakyat, in
particular PAS that has grown in strength and numbers since helming
three states after the 2008 general election.
PAS the main worry
Delegates
and party officials told the floor that the BN administration had been
consistently implementing Islamic policies - from banking to the zakat
system and Tabung Haji fund - while PAS had done little more than to
brand Umno as infidels. To press home their message, a video of
PASā infamous prayer for Umnoās demise during the latterās muktamar was
played during the general assembly and put on loop play during the
breaks.
The
attention shift from the breakaway PKR to PAS appears to be a response
to the latter's aggressive recruitment drive of former civil servants in
recent months, which include former chiefs in the police force, army,
religious authorities and public service - Umnoās traditional support
bases.
Wan Saiful concurred that PAS was Umnoās main worry in Pakatan Rakyat hence the obsession with PAS bashing.
"They
(Umno) call PAS a stooge, but the reality is if PAS was not a concern
they would not be mentioning it so many times," he said.
And
although Najib played down the opposition's strength in his winding up
speech, his attempt to wade into the candidate selection process hiccups
suggest he now acknowledges the serious challenge Pakatan Rakyat poses.
Wan Saiful noted that sabotage has always been an issue in
Umno, but the uphill task now is to ensure the party will not suffer the
similar debacle of 2008 in the face of a formidable opposition. Malaysiakini
With contributions from Lee Long Hui and Kow Gah Chie.
Almost
the entire first half of his 45-minute closing speech was spent
building his case for party members to accept his choice of "winnable
candidates" for the coming general election. 
Najibās
predicament is notable as previously, local party leaders had much
clout in determining the choice of candidates. The system usually meant
that many leaders could nominate themselves repeatedly, even if it was
to the detriment of Umno's chances at the polls. 
"It is a public (open) secret that there are many camps in Umno, all paying loyalty to different leaders. 
Even the "Hidup Melayu (Long
live the Malays)" chants occurred with far less frequency than at
previous AGMs. Most top leaders used the more race-neutral "Hidup Umno", "Hidup BN" and "Hidup Malaysia" to cap off their respective speeches. 
The
attention shift from the breakaway PKR to PAS appears to be a response
to the latter's aggressive recruitment drive of former civil servants in
recent months, which include former chiefs in the police force, army,
religious authorities and public service - Umnoās traditional support
bases. 
