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."
Would you not vote for Harapan? - Commander S THAYAPARAN (Retired) Royal Malaysian Navy
Monday, September 20, 2021
Malaysiakini : “Perhaps home is not a place but simply an irrevocable condition.” - James Baldwin
COMMENT | Ambiga Sreenevasan, in her latest piece, writes that the memorandum of understanding (MOU) has given us time for valuable introspection. Pakatan
Harapan supporters have been emailing and texting me, talking about the
apathy that has been setting in. Does Harapan really care about people
who vote for them, one asked?
Here
is the thing. Harapan showed no interest in the feelings of the base
when it was in power. Harapan was exactly the kind of government BN
was, the only difference was that the Harapan base – at least some of
them – could indulge their fantasies of former prime minister Najib
Abdul Razak in an orange or purple jumpsuit.
I mean most of us who
endorsed Harapan also endorsed someone, who was not only defined as a
tyrant but also someone who was at one time an existential threat to
this country. At that time and maybe even now, Kua Kia Soong is probably
the last few honest men in Malaysia.
Beyond that, the old
maverick had everyone wrapped around his fingers and Harapan was not
only busy strengthening institutions of repressions but also cavalierly
dismissing anyone who was reminding the government of the day to carry
out reforms.
I mean everyone was saying that BN had decades to
screw up the system, so Harapan needed more time. Everyone except people
like Penang Deputy Chief Minister P Ramasamy and Sungai Pelek
assemblyperson Ronnie Liu, who suddenly found themselves targets from
their own coalition because they were unafraid to shout out that the
emperor had no clothes.