Link graphic for a KJB version Bible Verse that will be automatically updated when we update it from time to time
">

7th Rangers: A postcard from an uprising by Commander (Rtd) S Thayaparan formerly of the Royal Malaysian Navy

Photobucket
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
 
Fighting Seventh
The Fighting Rangers
On War, Politics
and Burning Issues
Profile
Miscellaneous

American Thinker
American
Newspapers Online

Arab News
Asia News
Asia Times
Assyrian News
BBC News
Breitbart News
British and
International
Newspapers Online

CAMERA
CBS News
City Journal
CNN
Christian Solidarity
International

Daily Caller
Daily Mail
DAP Malaysia
Dawn
Drudge Report
Dutch News
Faith Freedom
Ali Sina

Foreign Affairs
Forward
Fox News
Google News
Guardian
Haaretz
Harakah Daily
English

Herald Malaysia
Hurriyet Turkey
History of Jihad
Independent
Indian Newspapers
Online

Inspire Magazine
IPOH Echo
International
Herald Tribune

Jerusalem Newswire
Jihad Watch
Local-
French News
In English)

London Times
Malaysiakini

Malaysian Insider
Malaysia
Centre for Policy
Initiatives

Free Malaysia Today
Malaysia Chronicle
Malaysia
-Sarawak Report

MEMRI TV
Middle East
Forum

Mission Network
News

MSNBC News
National Review
NEWSMAX
New York Post
New York Times
Nut Graph
Opinion Journal
Right Wing News
Spiegel
Star Online
Straits Times
Sun Malaysia
Sydney
Morning Herald

Telegraph
The Malay Mail
The Rebel Media
The Sun (UK)
Time
Times of India
Town Hall
US News
World Report

USA Today
VBS TV
Washington Post
Washington Times
World Net Daily
World
Watch Monitor

Yahoo News
Ynet News



No Atheists
In A Foxhole

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."

Proud To Have
Served With Warriors

Glorious
Malaysian Food
Foreign Bloggers + 1 Sarawakian
&
Other Stuff
Gaming

Major D Swami
WITH Lt Col Ivan Lee
Click Here

Lt Col Ivan Lee
you want him with
you in a firefight!!!!

Dying Warrior
xxxxxx
Condors-Infantry
Fighting Vehicles
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Camp
Bujang Senang
Click Here
xxxxxxxx
The A Team
Click Here
xxxxxxxx
Major General
Toh Choon Siang
Click here
Lieutenant General
Stephen Mundaw
Click Here
With His
Dying Breath
Killed in Battle
In Death
Last Thoughts
Before Battle
Whilst There Is
Life, There Is Fight

Not Done In Yet!!

Iban Trackers
XXXXXXXX
Facts On RoP
Hutang Negara
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
A postcard from an uprising by Commander (Rtd) S Thayaparan formerly of the Royal Malaysian Navy
Friday, February 08, 2013
"Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred." - Martin Luther King Jr.

COMMENT Before I begin, I make no claims of speaking for "the majority". This should be read as a personal anecdote of an opposition supporter who was there to make the numbers, but more importantly - as I have done for all these ‘pro-opposition' rallies - to mix with my fellow travellers and listen to their stories. As always, people were willing to talk. In the midst of all the allegations that this was an Anwar Ibrahim tactic to divert attention from some personal scandal or other, a more subtle narrative emerged from the people I spoke to.

Almost all of them were there to show support for Pakatan Rakyat. However, a good many people I spoke to willingly told me that they believed a change was crucial but that they were also sceptical of politics and politicians in general and they were determined to hold Pakatan to a higher standard if the alternative alliance ever claimed Putrajaya. Many, like the university students I spoke to, were there in defiance to authority - something rediscovered amongst young people who are ignorant of the rabble rousing nature of former students turned politicians who hold sway today.

Young women - their faces covered in case they were detected by the authorities - were visibly angry that Umnoputra (their words) children are exposed to ‘English' education while they are stuck in a rut with degrees that have no value beyond these shores. One young man said to me in English, "We are here because we want the chains to be cut. We don't want to be chained to anyone." I can understand why the Umno regime so fears a split in the Malay vote. Although I saw a sea of non-Malay faces wherever I went, without a doubt this was a majority Malay uprising at least from walking about in the various meeting points of this rally and then later in Stadium Merdeka.

This should not be of much concern to those of us in the opposition although perhaps it is a good talking point for pro-establishment types. I argued in some of my very first pieces in Malaysiakini that the general election will eventually come down to the Malay vote. Umno knows this very well, which is why it is determined not only to capture the Malay vote but also redefine the Malay demographic with constitutionally-created Malays.

Venomous propaganda


What is relevant in terms of gatherings of these kinds and the Umno propaganda that said gatherings are a threat to peace and stability is that the non-Malays who were there and in large numbers had no fear or concern for their safety with the overwhelming majority of Malays who attended this uprising.
For my part, I would like to thank a few PAS Unit Amal personnel who at various times helped me navigate through the crowds, access places which would have been difficult for a senior citizen to manouevre and (all of them) taking the time to explain the changing nature of PAS to an old man who had no problem prodding them on points he disagreed with. As far as the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) is concerned, they have earned the goodwill and respect of the people who attended yesterday's rally. The PDRM were present but allowed the security personnel of the various groups to do their job. I personally witnessed many incidents where the police were helping people get to where they wanted to go.

They projected no malice towards those attending. Some would argue that credit should go to Umno for this and if we can agree that the horrendous manner in which they (the PDRM) behaved in past rallies should be blamed on Umno, then I have no problem crediting Umno with this turn of goodwill from the PDRM. This lays to rest the venomous propaganda that only Umno can maintain the peace when it comes to interracial harmony and returns the power of how we choose to interact with the various communities (with sometimes divergent religious and political beliefs) to the hands of the people or at least the people who chose to participate in this so-called uprising.

But the split in the Malay vote has a deeper meaning. It could also point to a split in the Umno bureaucracy. Again, anecdotally speaking, I met many currently serving and retired Malay civil, military and police personnel who were there because they were dissatisfied at the direction this country was heading. There was also a religious element to some of their grievances, in the sense that they believed that Umno had become decadent and immoral and this had no place in the government. I will refrain from quoting rather seditious comments regarding the royalty.

Disapproval and distain


As I have written before, what Pakatan has managed to do extremely well is harness divergent ideological, racial, social and religious forces and concentrate them on one objective, which is regime change, as is the democratic right of every citizen in this country. There were echoes of past ‘people uprisings' be it Bersih, anti-Lynas, reformasi, etc. Some would argue that "hate" for Umno was a powerful motivator, and indeed I sensed from the crowd the disdain they felt towards the current regime. Whenever scandals or certain political personalities were mentioned, the crowd roared in disapproval.

I sincerely hope that this disapproval and disdain for corruption would be reflected back on Pakatan should they ever come into power and find themselves in the same quagmire as Umno and BN. I sincerely hope that this disdain for corruption and political personalities who subvert the noble aims of a people's movement for personal gain and political expediency, is reflected back on Pakatan personalities should they ever indulge in such behaviour. Dr D Jeyakumar, who was there representing PSM, made perhaps one of the more inspiring speeches (and one relevant to the point I am making) not to mention a speech which every Pakatan supporter should take to heart. I reproduce the most important point here:

"Yang ketiga, dan ini penting sekali, selepas kita tawan Putrajaya dan menubuhkan kerajaan baru, kita, rakyat biasa harus meneruskan penglibatan kami dalam proses politik dan pentadbiran.

"Kuasa boleh merosakkan pemimpin kita. Ada ungkapan Inggeris - power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Kuasa yang tidak dihadkan oleh proses demokratik boleh meracuni kepimpinan kita. Hanya dengan pemantauan dan teguran daripada rakyat jelata bolehlah kerajaan baru terus telus dan bersih.

"Antara perubahan yang kita harus membawa ke budaya politik negara kita adalah untuk meminta semua calon yang ingin jadi adun atau wakil rakyat untuk berjanji pada pengundi bahawa dia akan memakai posisi dan kuasanya hanya untuk kepentingan rakyat biasa dan bukan untuk menjadikan keluarganya kaya raya.

"Kita tidak halang sesiapa yang mahu jadi kaya tetapi pergilah ke bisnes. Jangan jadi wakil rakyat supaya mahu cari duit.
"


(“Thirdly, and this is the most important, is after we claim Putrajaya and set up a new government, we, the ordinary rakyat ought to continue to involve ourselves in the political and administrative processes. “Power can ruin our leaders. There is an English saying - power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Power that is unchecked by the democratic process can poison our leadership. Only with the monitoring and reproach from the ordinary rakyat can the new government continue to be transparent and clean. “Among the changes we need to bring to the political culture in this country is to require all candidates who want to be assemblypersons of MPs to make an oath to the voters that they will use their positions and power only for the interests of the ordinary rakyat, and not to make their families rich.

“We do not stop anyone who wants to become rich, but do that through (your own) business activities. Don’t become a people’s representative just so you can make money.”)

My last walkabout


However, what was evident was the sense of ‘hope'. Taking it to the streets was an expression of defiance, but more importantly a goodwill message to all Malaysians. Perhaps this sometimes got lost in translation because of the current partisan climate but anyone attending would have noticed that a sense of belonging far outweighed the rancour that has been a staple in oppositional politics.

On a personal note, this may be my last walkabout. Although I saw many seniors, I truly believe that these kinds of democratic expressions are best suited for the young. We had our chance. We made our country and now the young people have to change it. As a senior citizen, I will confine my expression to the ballot box. I know many seniors who I met are rejuvenated by these gatherings and I wish them the best of luck and more walkabouts in the future.

As for me, as Roger Murtaugh from the movie ‘Lethal Weapon' correctly said, "I'm getting too old for this shit." Malaysiakini
posted by Major D Swami (Retired) @ 10:59 PM  
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home
 
ARCHIVES


Previous Post
Indian Soldiers
World War 1
Links To Rangers
Military Related Links


End of a Saracen
East Malaysian
Warriors
Blow Pipe
xxxx
xxxx
Lieutenant Colonel
Zulkapli Abdul Rahman
Click Here
Lieutenant Colonel
Harbhajan Singh
Click Here
Heads from the Land
of the Head Hunters
Heads
20 Harrowing Images
Vietnam War

Creme De La Creme-Click here

Killing Time
Before Deployment

Lt Col Idris Hassan
Royal Malay
Regiment
Click Here

Also Known as
General Half Track

Warriors
Dayak Warrior
Iban Tracker with
British Soldier

Showing the
British Trooper
what a jackfruit is!!

Iban Tracker

A British Trooper training
an Iban Tracker

Iban Tracker

Tracker explaining
to the British Soldier who
knows little about tracking

Iban Tracker
Explaining to the
British Trooper the meaning
of the marks on the leaf

Iban Tracker
Aussie admiring
Tracker's Tattoos

Lest We Forget Major Sabdin Ghani
Click Here
Captain Mohana Chandran
al Velayuthan (200402) SP
Ranger Bajau
ak Ladi PGB
Cpl Osman PGB

Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
Photobucket
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Advertistment
XXXXXXXX
Powered by

Free Blogger Templates

BLOGGER

google.com, pub-8423681730090065, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 <bgsound src="">