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."
Olympic attire and the propaganda of diversity By Commander S THAYAPARAN (Retired) Royal Malaysian Navy
Monday, July 29, 2024
Knucklehead : diversity? what rubbish! Any
kid in school today will tell you clearly, they don't even get a chance
to play any sporting game in school cause they are 'told' and yes,
there are a clear racial profiling. You must be blind if you can't see it going on for years now!
Malaysiakini : “Oh God, the terrible tyranny of the majority. We all have our harps
to play. And it's up to you to know with which ear you'll listen.” - Ray
Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
COMMENT | Malaysia’s, or should that be “Malaya’s”, Olympic outfits have courted controversy for lacking “diversity”.
Political
operatives and pundits have weighed in decrying the lack of diversity
when it comes to showcasing the diverse cultures that exist in Malaysia,
which is somehow supposed to be crammed into an outfit for the
Olympics.
To be honest I am a little puzzled by this outfit. Local
fashion house Rizman Ruzaini made history as the first local designers
to have a creation of theirs featured in the Victoria and Albert Museum
(V&A) in London.
Apparently, their creation is now part of an exhibition celebrating the career of supermodel Naomi Campbell.
Indeed, in an Instagram post, they gushed:
“We are still pinching ourselves that a Rizman Ruzaini creation is part
of the exhibition. The fact that she personally asked for our dress to
be a part of her exhibition, to be described as one of the iconic
moments in her career, is just crazy.
“To see our dress, being
displayed alongside designers that we look up to when studying fashion,
such as Christian Dior, Chanel, Versace, Alexander McQueen, John
Galliano, and Karl Lagerfeld, is truly, truly the stuff that dreams are
made of.”
So,
what we have here are designers who understand the pulse of the
international scene and who understand how diversity, especially in the
international market, could be financially and creatively profitable.
These are the people you want to create a snazzy outfit to showcase what your country has to offer.
Richpeople vibes
Furthermore,
Youths and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh is one of the most popular
non-Malay political operatives known for her sermons on cultural
diversity and inclusivity even though she did court flak for wearing a
headscarf.
In that particular incident, she reminded
everyone: “That I should not have to explain myself is the Malaysia we
need to work on to promote unity. I look forward to the day my selendang is no longer a contentious matter. I hope the above explanation clarifies.”
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh
So
with all this in the mix, how exactly did we get “Malaya”? And here’s
the thing, those outfits do more than just display a “Hari Raya vibe”,
what it displays is a Hari Raya vibe for rich people.
Do you think
regular folks get to wear such creations? No, this is a Hari Raya vibe
for the oligarchs, political operatives, their proxies and cronies, and
their scions.
This is not about diversity. This is about the
propaganda of diversity. This is about how for decades, “Malaysia truly
Asia” was just another word for racial and cultural supremacy. And this
is really an old form of propaganda.
