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."
Apanakdikato: Mahathir should ask himself whether he practices
multilateralism. Very often he overrides other stakeholders or even
keeps them in the dark in many decisions that he makes. Was this
revised foreign policy framework discussed in the cabinet before its
launch? Is this revised policy a platform for Mahathir to voice his
personally biased concerns and to elevate his status among Muslim
countries in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)?
Why
is Mahathir putting his attention to the conflicts in certain Muslim
countries like Jammu/Kashmir and Palestine, where he alleges that
non-Muslim and Western countries are the oppressors, while he remains
silent on the acts of aggression and gross human rights violation
committed by some Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia and Somalia?
Why
didnāt he thank many Western countries and governments for their
humanitarian assistance and acts of kindness towards millions of
refugees from Muslim countries? Most of all, is Mahathir being
hypocritical when he accuses certain foreign governments of human rights
abuses when he has not been able to resolve or even seen to be involved
in many cases of human rights violation and injustices within Malaysia?
For example, the Teoh Beng Hock murder case, the non-return of
Indira Gandhi's children by her Muslim ex-husband, the enforced
disappearances of pastor Raymond Koh, pastor Joshua Hilmi and his wife, Ruth Sitepu, and social activist Amri Che Mat. It has been a year
since Pakatan Harapan took over the government but all these cases have
been conveniently swept under the carpet. And now Mahathir wants to
champion the cause of Palestinians and Kashmiris? He has misplaced his
priorities.