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."
MS:
So, the granddaughter of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad produces a
film about her long-in-the-tooth grandfather, and mixes it up with the
futile struggle of hopeful Malaysians in this long-suffering country.
While
her intentions are to be lauded, the ‘M’ in the story has now come to
stand for the manipulation and mischief-making the old man is once again
known for.
The appointments of his Bersatu gofers like the ‘black
shoe’ Education Minister Maszlee Malik, the ‘dinner host’ Youth and
Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, and the ‘yet to stir’
Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, to wreck the hopes and aspirations of
Pakatan Harapan voters are once again brought into sharp focus.
So
what does ‘M’ mean to you? It means more misery under Mahathir as he
continues to manipulate Malaysians with his khat, the Islamic preacher
Zakir Naik, and other ‘toxic’ wastes. His exit in every sense will not
be too soon.
Anonymous 770241447347646: They say a bird in the hand is
worth two in the bush. Harapan won because of the massive Chinese,
Indian, as well as 30 percent of Malay votes. All Harapan had to
do is to make sure this percentage is taken care of and work on the B40
(bottom 40 percent, many of whom are Malays). This will help to bring in
the extra 10 to 20 percent Malay votes for the 15th general election.
Mahathir
has forgotten the struggles all Malaysians had to go through to put
Harapan in power - the numbers that flew back just to make that change. Meanwhile,
others work tirelessly on the ground. Thousands of others tried to
gather as much support as they can through the alternate media,
relatives, and friends. This was all done because of the love for the nation that they called home.
In
one stroke of his pen, Mahathir introduced khat, protected Zakir Naik
and Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali, and sent the Chinese
and Indian votes running for the exit doors. Does Mahathir have his private agenda? The decisions show his ungratefulness to the supporters that put him into power. Secondly, he is back to playing the same game as before.
Umno
had tried to be more religious than PAS by introducing new policies
that would win the hearts of the Malays. Now, Harapan is making the same
mistake as Umno did. Religion will not provide food on the table,
a reasonable-salaried job, better healthcare, education, or even a
cheap and comfortable roof over their heads.
If focus is given to
these issues, the people will realise who have taken care of their basic
needs in the long run. They will be grateful and support the party that
really paid attention to them. All these can be achieved if the
agenda is genuine and not for some selfish self-interest. Mahathir has
to show that this nation really belongs to all Malaysians and not to the
selected few.