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."
The mood in the police force, from the ground all the way up to the
federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman, is not pretty after the top
cop of Malaysia and his boss, the home minister, both made the news in
the past two days for the wrong reasons.
The rank and file and even very senior officers want to hear their
bosses defend themselves publicly against the charges levelled at them
recently, especially the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu
Bakar. "It is not easy being a policeman and the demands of the public have
never been higher. But I just could not believe it when I read the
judge's findings in Kugan's case," said a lance corporal, referring to
the landmark ruling two days ago when a judge scolded Khalid for his
handling of the case of a prisoner who died in police custody.
The detainee, A. Kugan, was held at the Subang Taipan police where he
was assaulted, suffering 45 external and multiple internal injuries. He
died of kidney failure from the beatings. Yesterday, Home Minister
Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi too was dealt a blow by a judge when
the Federal Court ruled he had a case to answer for assault of a man who
was interested in Zahid’s daughter. Such bad news about the highest levels of the force has shaken morale and confidence, particularly over the IGP.
"After everything I have read in the past 24 hours, what is clear is
that Khalid has been accused of covering up the circumstances
surrounding Kugan's death and he should give an explanation," an
Assistant Superintendent told The Malaysian Insider, on condition of
anonymity. "It is imperative that the IGP comes out and explains rather than
keep mum on the issue while the public gets angrier and loses confidence
in the force." He added, "I do not know the actual facts or what actually transpired
during Kugan's case. Perhaps Khalid himself received the wrong
information from his men on the ground?" His views were echoed among the rank and file by a lance corporal,
who said: "As the personnel on the ground, we are also waiting to hear
from our top officers on what is actually transpiring as so far we are
reading a lot of negative reports.
"We would also like to hear from Tan Sri IGP and listen to his side
of the story. All the feedback and comments we have heard thus far is
quite demoralising," the policeman said.
But a Senior Assistant Commissioner said it was better to look at the
bigger picture. He said: "It is true Khalid is responsible as he
was then the Selangor police chief and answerable for the actions of his
subordinates. If I was the state police chief, I would also be placed
in the same position. But we should be fair as well. The actions of an
irresponsible few should not result in Khalid's removal. "Do we keep sacking IGPs if their subordinates misbehave? “That would mean the government might not last five years because the prime minister and home minister should also quit." "There is no doubt that Khalid should be held accountable for Kugan's
death. If I was a civilian, I would feel angry too, but we must look at
the bigger picture."– June 28, 2013.
