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."
Malaysiakini : INTERVIEW | Back in 2018, the
Pakatan Harapan coalition unveiled its ambitious 138-page election
manifesto, which sought to tackle the rising cost of living, address
demands made by various communities and reduce the powers of the prime
minister, among others.
However, prior to the Harapan governmentās
collapse in 2020 after a 22-month tenure, then prime minister Dr
Mahathir Mohamad admitted that the coalition overpromised in its
manifesto as they did not expect to win the 14th general election.
Now gearing for the 15th general election (GE15), opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim pledged a more carefully curated manifesto. In an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini,
the PKR president said his plan was to only give clear commitments on
issues that the coalition is able to deliver should it capture Putrajaya
again.
āUnfortunately, the (previous) manifesto did become quite an issue...
but my position is to give clear commitments on issues that we are able
to deliver. āDonāt make too many promises. I will do my best to
ensure good governance. I canāt promise the sky, and I think that is
honest,ā he said.
On a personal level, Anwar said he had been
preparing a script for Harapanās manifesto through engagements with
scholars and inputs from allies. The script, he said, included notes
from his time in prison. Anwar acknowledged some weaknesses in
Harapan but stressed at the end of the day, it was committed to working
to save the nation.
Monty : Anwar, by this time Malaysians expect that you have not only got your manifesto all ready to go with some last minute trimming but have also lined up your cabinet appointments. As MP what exactly have you been doing these last few years particularly since the Covid pandemic lockdown.
This is the last thrown of the dice for you and the opposition. And if you disappoint us this time, UMNO and BN will be sitting in Putrajayq for at least the next decade. We will not be forgiving you for that. So either get your act together especially since you have a smart, alert and dependable Deputy. I disagree with those who think that the fire in your belly has been extinguished.
Donāt get into bed with just anybody simply because they offer to support you. Your experience should easily tell you who are the opportunists. And who are the loyalists who will stay with you to the end. Get it right please.
Justmyview : Pakatan should come out with a summarised version of its proposed manifesto for the common folks to understand but not a lengthy essay to impress the intellectuals, professionals and the educated middle class only.
one day at a time : Saudara Anwar,
This GE 15 will be the last opportunity for you to achieve your dream . It's going to be a very tough fight against the cash chest and mighty election machinery of BN . Even though you're not the best choice , but who knows the rakyat like me will give you the opportunity
darmakochi : Anwar you must come in and do it correctly this time. My time in MU overlaps your time and the cockerel that is crowing around after escaping the first round of corruption charges. Our beloved nation is in very bad shape.
Cogito Ergo Sum : DSAI, you just donāt have the killer instinct of a political chess player. TDM outplayed you, outsmarted PH and was never going to hand over the reigns to you. His most lethal statement was that PH never expected to win so they promised all and sundry in their manifesto. Rubbish! He did that to undermine PH from the start.
You are now responding to that devious statement by saying you will get the manifesto right this time. What was wrong with original manifesto? Nothing. It won you the GE14 and the right to rule. If you can implement 50% of your manifesto, itās good already.
At the next GE, tie up the loose ends and implement the reading 50%. You just fell for TDMās tricks and by your response, you are stressing that you did not get it right the first time. It is a fatal mistake Sir.
Elections could be called as early as the first week of November 2022. It is less than a month and you are still talking about coming up with a manifesto. That means you guys are all talk only and don't know how to fulfil the rakyat's aspirations for change and refoems, and to govern with the right policies when in power.
Don't blame the precious manifesto, it was done by a bunch of self interest politicians and academics who are far removed from the reality on the ground. It was just a thesis, a bad one at that.
I wonder what's taking you all so long to come up with the manifesto. PH has ruled for 22 months and you had ministers in key positions.
I means YBY could come with the draft manifesto for environment and climate change in a day. What's stopping her. Likewise all the other former ministers. I guess the reality is that you all don't have a huge team of civil servants to so all the research and take credit for it.
Please stop all campaigning and come out with a draft manifesto in a week, and use that in your campaigns to gather feedbacks and refinements.
Enough of the ayuh ayuh roadshows now, and daily whacking of the opponents in Mkini, including releasing their backup writers and academics. The malay masses don't read Mkini, and the urbanites are just sick of you all preaching to the converted without any substance.
A manifesto should include not only the policies but more importantly how it is to be implemented.
If you don't set your mind to the realities of implementation, then the policies are just hogwash, a publicity popularist stunt.
I recall DAP's budget which is just a wishlist of spending like there is no tomorrow, and far removed from the actual situation on the ground. But when in power, they were cutting down on all spending, especially for the poor.
If you are still talking about the manifesto, it is a clear indication you all are not prepared at all for GE15.
No wonder you all are praying to God for the monsoon to come earlier. How different are you all from PAS.
If you think your series of interviews has put you in good stead as a leader and reformist, you are totally wrong. The educated see you as one living in the past, reminiscing about past dreams and misses and nothing to offer to the rakyat to want to vote out BN.
Mentioning about the strong, formidable and convincing numbers, and how you were so right while all others are wrong is an epitome of your your leadership, if ever there was one.
