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."
Between a BN rock and a Pakatan hard place by Commander (Rtd) S Thayaparan formerly of the Royal Malaysian Navy
Friday, February 15, 2013
"If you dance with the devil, the devil don't change. The devil changes you" - Max California (8MM) COMMENT
Right-thinking Malaysians should be aware that there are two points of
disagreement that the Hindraf leadership has - the first with Pakatan
Rakyat and the seat allocation controversy and the second, with Malaysiakini's coverage on the breakdown of talks.
The
first point with regard to Hindraf's ‘demands' that it be given seats
as the cause of the breakdown of talks is rejected emphatically by P
Waythamoorthy, whom I spoke to yesterday. According to the Hindraf
leader, yes, there was talk of seats but it was never a pre-condition
for Hindraf to support Pakatan. The only condition or perhaps
more accurately, the main condition, was Pakatan endorsing the Hindraf
blueprint. As to the parliamentary seats in question, Hindraf made it
very clear that it would not contest against Pakatan incumbents but
would like a straight fight against MIC candidates.
Hindraf proposed
that they should battle for four seats which were held by the MIC and
the remaining three would be decided by Pakatan leadership. As for the
10 state seats, the same formula would apply. Hindraf is adamant that
this was not a pre-condition to Hindraf supporting Pakatan and these
were confidential talks between Pakatan and Hindraf, with nothing set in
stone. Right-thinking Malaysians should bear in mind that the
idea that the talks between Hindraf and Pakatan are breaking down
because Hindraf is demanding seats is political spin. The most important
condition has always been the Hindraf blueprint.
Furthermore,
Hindraf made it clear that it wanted no funds (from Pakatan) for its
vast network of volunteers who were willing to work for Pakatan in the
coming general election. This was a form of ABUism (Anything But
Umnoism) at work.Highly confidential talks
It is regrettable that Pakatan has chosen to spin these highly
confidential talks to further demonise a prospective ally with the old
canard that ‘Indians' are demanding and ungrateful. Although I am
on record as far as my belief that Hindraf should play the role of an
activist lobby, I abhor the propaganda that attempts to vilify them and
the breaking of confidence that is explicit in secret negotiations. Any political operative will tell you that secrecy even amongst
political opponents is a primary tool which facilitates compromise and
should never be taken lightly.
The second point is the semantic disagreement between the Hindraf leadership and Malaysiakini with regards to the first paragraph of the its news report, 'Hindraf: Talks with Pakatan heading for breakdown'.Hindraf in a text message to Malaysiakini
said, "Steven, your 1st para on Hindraf news is misleading. Hindraf
never said it would WITHDRAW support for the opposition coalition. I
have doubled checked on the written statement of (P) Ramesh, the
secretary. Let us not derail the opportunity to work together, please
amend accordingly."
I gather this message was also texted to various Pakatan leaders.
I reproduce here the last two paragraphs of the press statement in its
entirety to allow readers to judge for themselves if "warning" (a rather
provocative description) in lieu of "cautious", is an appropriately
neutral/objective description considering the ire Hindraf raises in
their adversaries who consider them "racist".
"In the excitement
of a general election, Hindraf will advise the Indian marginalised and
poor that they should not forget their denied rights and expect magic to
happen after the GE just on a regime change. We will advise that we
have to analyse how the last 12 GEs have brought changes in our lives.
Hindraf has become wary of selfish politicians who use the elections as a
tool to excite people and make empty promises for their votes and after
having got their votes, forget their promises. Hindraf is not about to
let that happen. Promises must be kept. "Hindraf will not waiver
from its path of getting for the Indian poor what is their long due
right. We will push along this path in spite of the many difficulties
along the way. As for the upcoming GE, Hindraf will be cautious in
directing the people in how to cast their votes."
Indeed, I
agree with the description of the disingenuous nature of certain
politicians from Pakatan (and I should add BN) in the press statement.MIC to be blamed
However beyond this semantic mess (depending of course on how one views
Hindraf) as a Pakatan and Hindraf supporter, I would like to make my
stand clear. Engaging with BN in any way if talks with Pakatan breaks
down is an unacceptable option for Hindraf. The reason why there
is a large disfranchised segment of the Indian community is because of
BN. I do not blame Umno entirely for this sad state of affairs. I blame
the MIC. After all, Umno dealt us our race cards and who else is to
blame if the hand was played badly. The MCA may be considered by a
majority of the Chinese community as outcast but they shepherded the
interests of the Chinese community far better and with far more obvious
gains than the MIC.
Umno has given no indication to the Indian
community that it views them as anything more than expendable votes who
are content with the occasional displays of largesse that in no way
amounts to the same attention that is given to the other non-Malay
community.Systemic
discrimination in the legal system and law enforcement has resulted in
the perpetuation of the stereotype that Indians are the criminal
underclass of Malaysian society, where even deaths in custody becomes
political propaganda by the racialists within Pakatan to harangue for
support of Pakatan.
If BN is not an option, what then? Hindraf
should make it very clear that they reject the racist policies of BN but
since Pakatan has no interest in reversing those polices in the context
of the Hindraf blueprint, Hindraf will abstain from participating in
the upcoming general elections.
Now for some this would not be
such a big deal. Hindraf and the Indian community are mocked routinely
in the alternative media, so their non-participation would be an
insignificant event. Pakatan are convinced they have the Indian vote
locked down and so does BN with the publication of numerous polls
results crowing the return of the Indian vote to BN, thanks to the
‘efforts' of the MIC. Both underestimate the disenfranchised of
the Indian community. I have no doubt that Pakatan has locked down the
middle class (or at least a significant majority) Indian vote who have
drunk deeply from the kool aid well, but who are clueless of the reality
Hindraf and the Human Rights Party shine a light on.Why the delay in endorsing blueprint?
Umno, which has always taken the Indian vote for granted, believes that
it has done enough for the community to rejoin the fold, but the truth
may be far more disastrous for Pakatan than Umno. The great
misconception is that the disenfranchised of the Indian community are
blind devotees of Hindraf. What people do not seem to understand is that
Hindraf works hard for the support it receives. Abstaining from the
political process is a very real option for the disenfranchised of the
Indian community who have yet to see the practical benefits that Pakatan
supporters claim they see under the Pakatan administrations they live
under.
Recently Waythamoorthy and journalists from various Tamil
language newspapers who were covering him on his fact-finding forays
across Indian villages across Selangor were told that they (Indian
villagers) would not support BN but they would abstain from voting if
they felt their communities needs were not being addressed by Pakatan. These "messages" were of course not reported in the mainstream Tamil
press. However, it was very clear to Hindraf that in order for Hindraf
to be effective facilitators of change, they would have to offer
credible evidence that Pakatan was serious about addressing the concerns
of the disenfranchised of the Indian community.I
have no idea why Pakatan does not want to drop the multiracial/cultural
spin (because I can cite plenty of evidence to the contrary) and engage
in some old fashion realpolitik. The perception that this is a Chinese
versus Umno election is a meme, which is either willfully ignored or
dismissed, in the alternative media. Marginalising a group like Hindraf
merely adds to this perception.
Hindraf is accused of being
"stubborn". However, has Hindraf not refined its original demands and
made a compromise in the form of the blueprint that has been endorsed
by like-minded oppositional personalities and groups? Has not Hindraf
acknowledged that Anwar Ibrahim as the "prime minister in waiting"? Has
not Hindraf publicly said it would campaign for Pakatan with its cadre
of committed grassroots activists? Why the delay in endorsing
the blueprint? If as some Pakatan leaders have told me that the
"demands" are similar to Pakatan's own goals, then why not agree to them
in principle in writing or get back to Hindraf who have publicly stated
that they would consider whatever amendments that Pakatan feels is
necessary?
The answer is simple. Pakatan feels that it does not
need Hindraf and they have the Indian vote locked down. The Kampung Buah
Pala fiasco may be a non-issue as far Pakatan is concerned, but Waytha
has made it clear that he would be willing to debate any Pakatan
representative with the goal of establishing another narrative besides
the one propagated by Pakatan. Psy blunder may help Umno
Moreover, if Pakatan thinks that the recent Psy games boosted its stock amongst undecided voters, I say think again. The
Chinese community may have made their stand and a certain section may
be gulping down schadenfreude over Prime Minister Najib Razak's blunder,
but anyone with an ounce of political practical understanding would
know that the longer this election foreplay drags on, the more likely
the ground-level sentiment might change. Take this Umno MP, who
gleefully told me that the constant attacks by the "Chinese dominated
alternative media" especially about the Psy blunder might actually be
working in favour of Umno.Undecided
Malay voters, who see that the Najib administration is bending over
backwards to accommodate the Chinese community, whether in matters of
education (according to the Malay Mail, Najib will attend
the Dong Zong open house), religion (the ‘Allah' controversy which the
DAP relit) and generally pandering to the Chinese community which is
mocked as "demeaning", may just get tired of this nonsense and vote
Umno.
Concerning Dong Zong, the standards are different. A
hardline Chinese education group consorting with an Umno PM is not
considered treacherous behaviour but the same does not apply to Indian
rights groups. That is fair play for you from Pakatan supporters.
These undecided Malay voters are not Umno stooges like the Pakatan
kool-aid drinkers and DAP apparatchiks like to portray them but rather
middle-of-the-road types who are appalled by the way how politicians
from both sides of the divide behave.
These voters will retreat
to their communal cages, especially when they see that the same old race
game is played and that their values, be it religious or cultural are
constantly mocked. Why switch teams when on the surface the devil you
know is showing signs of compromise? This election is going to
be one of the most bitterly fought elections in Malaysian history. For
Pakatan, up against an Umno state that has stacked the deck, every vote
counts. It would be a shame if a significant section of the Indian
community abstained from voting or worse voted for Umno because the
Pakatan leadership refused to see the big real politick picture.
Hindraf in a text message to Malaysiakini
said, "Steven, your 1st para on Hindraf news is misleading. Hindraf
never said it would WITHDRAW support for the opposition coalition. I
have doubled checked on the written statement of (P) Ramesh, the
secretary. Let us not derail the opportunity to work together, please
amend accordingly."
Systemic
discrimination in the legal system and law enforcement has resulted in
the perpetuation of the stereotype that Indians are the criminal
underclass of Malaysian society, where even deaths in custody becomes
political propaganda by the racialists within Pakatan to harangue for
support of Pakatan.
I
have no idea why Pakatan does not want to drop the multiracial/cultural
spin (because I can cite plenty of evidence to the contrary) and engage
in some old fashion realpolitik. The perception that this is a Chinese
versus Umno election is a meme, which is either willfully ignored or
dismissed, in the alternative media. Marginalising a group like Hindraf
merely adds to this perception.
Undecided
Malay voters, who see that the Najib administration is bending over
backwards to accommodate the Chinese community, whether in matters of
education (according to the Malay Mail, Najib 
