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."
Dissenting M'sians are not a clear and present danger by Commander (Rtd) S Thayaparan formerly of the Royal Malaysian Navy
Friday, June 21, 2013
From Malaysiakini “A safe army is better than a safe border.” - BR Ambedkar
COMMENT Director of Internal Security and Public Order Department Salleh Mat Rasid said,
“So far, the police can still keep the peace. We keep in touch with the
military and will ask them to help if necessary.” What exactly does
Salleh mean when he says “so far”? Although I (and I am sure many
people support the oppositional forces in this country) may have
different views on the necessity of these 505 Black rallies, one thing
is for sure, if the security forces in this country do not hamper the
peaceful assembling of anti-establishment forces, “peace” is maintained
along with the principles of freedom of expression and assembly.
Post-GE13
what we have been witness to as far as massive rallies are concerned is
that a restrained or should that be constrained Royal Malaysian Police
(PDRM) has resulted in peaceful assemblies where responsible citizens
gather and disperse without destabilising the country or public safety. In
other words, “so far”, with everybody behaving responsibly, those
canards of “street protests” disrupting the everyday lives of ordinary
citizens have been exposed for the venal propaganda which is best left
to the propaganda organs who almost never address the issues head on.
As
it is amongst a certain section of the Malaysian public, the PDRM has
no credibility whatsoever. Custodial deaths, corruption and the
perception that the PDRM is beholden to their political masters is the
public face of an institution that is supposed to protect the interests
of every citizen of Malaysia regardless of political affiliation.
Therefore,
when Salleh advises the public “not to get involved with the opposition
rally or with activities that violate the law”, his lack of
objectivity, not to mention his unprofessional behaviour, is on full
display. Firstly, how is participating in an opposition rally
violating the law? Now if the opposition had failed to satisfy whatever
bizarre formalities are required to hold this particular public
demonstration, then Salleh should have qualified his statement. Secondly,
this continuing equating of support of oppositional forces with
violation of laws is frankly moronic considering the results of the
recent general elections and the fact that the opposition is the
establishment in certain states.
The reality of subservience
It
also points to the immaturity of our public institutions, not to
mention the perception of subservience, no not perception, the reality
of subservience to their political masters. If the PDRM gave an escort
to opposition rallies like those that they did with the cow head
protesters, I am sure this reality would be dispelled overnight. As
it is the best people can hope for is that when it comes to opposition
rallies, if the PDRM does not do its job - maintain minimal police
presence - the chances of a peaceful gathering, are almost guaranteed. However,
what it more troubling is the casual manner in which Salleh mentions
that he is keeping “in touch” with the military and will “ask for help”
if necessary. Exactly what kind of help is Salleh asking for?
Looking
back at the disreputable manner in which the PDRM engaged with ordinary
citizens in rallies pre-GE13, I can only conclude that what the PDRM
may need help in is tear-gassing citizens and dialoging with Malaysians
with batons. Now is this the kind of help that the military should be
extending to the PDRM? Now as a former military officer, I know
very well that the military and the PDRM maintain contact and exchange
ideas on a whole range of security issues affecting this country. We
work in tandem keeping the country safe from enemies both foreign and
domestic. I have no idea how it is now, but causally mentioning that the
military would be called in for is essentially a domestic issue, is
tantamount to threatening the public with military force.
I am
surprised that there was not an immediate response from the armed
forces. But then again, I have been surprised by the responses of the
armed forces on a whole range of issues. However, maybe I am mistaken. Perhaps
what Salleh meant by “military” was members of Relawan Rakyat Malaysia
or Rela. After all, despite objections from many retired service
personnel, Section 22 of the Rela Act 2012 enabled Rela to use the
established army rank structure. Perhaps these are the “military”
personnel who have been used before to “disrupt” peaceful assemblies but
who have been stamped with the respectability of Army ranks. Who knows?
(Concerning
the Rela Act and army ranks, the Retired Armed Forces Officers
Association (RAFOC) were assured that the relevant schedule would be
repealed once the election (GE13) was concluded, but no action has been
taken. RAFOC approached Ahmad Zahid Hamidi before he left his post and
reminded him of his reassurances that action would be taken, but to date
there has been no information forthcoming from the current defence
minister.) Neither the PDRM nor the military can afford such bad
publicity. Both of these institutions are grappling with their own
internal problems concerning a whole range of issues that have brought
them into public opprobrium. Many retired service personnel who support
the establishment or the opposition are dismayed that these institutions
are drawn into the games of the political forces of this country. Deserving of a reprimand
To
casually claim that the military would be used against dissenting
citizens of this country is something that deserves a reprimand from the
federal establishment if it is truly interested in the integrity of our
security forces, not to mention the welfare of its citizens. Silence
merely confirms the decrepit state of our security apparatus, where
anything goes as long as it serves the interest of a political party
hell-bent on maintaining its hegemony. It is also further evidence of
the racialist right wing strategy that in the long term will eventually
destabilise the peace and security of this country.
I realise
that these days any criticism of the public institutions of this country
is spun as criticisms against a specific community. The least the PDRM
or those who are in control of it could do is not drag other
institutions into their messes. The fact that establishment forces are
not cognisant of this is merely a reflection of the hubris that comes
with uninterrupted rule. S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy.
As
it is amongst a certain section of the Malaysian public, the PDRM has
no credibility whatsoever. Custodial deaths, corruption and the
perception that the PDRM is beholden to their political masters is the
public face of an institution that is supposed to protect the interests
of every citizen of Malaysia regardless of political affiliation.
