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."
Malaysiakini : COMMENT | If I want to purchase a piece of land from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), what steps do I need to follow?
Can
I go to the reception counter and request an application form? But
before that, will it provide a list of land available for sale? Is a
list of available plots displayed on the notice boards or the website?
The
answer is “no”, but is such information conveyed only to a select few,
mainly developers and selected titled individuals? Doesn’t Joe Public
get equal opportunities to buy state land?
Under these
circumstances, will land designated for public amenities, such as police
stations, fire stations, or schools, end up in private hands. Despite
having a large communications team, DBKL will never attempt to provide
answers. Internally, such details will be classified as “sulit” (confidential), and even asking for more information could constitute a breach of the Official Secrets Act.
In
2004, the developers of Effingham Estate (now Bandar Utama) surrendered
six parcels of land intended for public amenities, but all of them
ultimately ended up in private hands.
However, more shocking was that the land designated for a cemetery ultimately fell into the hands of a developer. I
then wrote: “First, they pinched land from the poor. Then they pilfered
playgrounds from children. Now, they are even stealing from the dead!
“One
administration handed over land acquired for a cemetery to a private
developer. The succeeding administration destroyed a forest reserve to
replace the land that had been stolen.” Those were the bad old
days of the BN government, which saw itself as “we can do no wrong”,
defying any authority and breaching the statutes.
But even with the change in government and the Madani administration in charge, little has changed. Nevertheless,
the questions to DBKL must be recorded not for posterity but to be
raised when the prime minister or members of his cabinet and party
claim, “We are open and transparent.”
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (left) and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
BlackGuppy0377 : The corruption machinery in Malaysia is so bloody efficient coupled with the entitlement mentality and we have a perfect environment for all the little napoleons running around getting richer and richer at the expense of the common folks not to mention the environment.
