Sunday, June 13, 2010

A MISCONCEPTION ABOUT RAFOC

I sense that there is a tendency among retired military officers to harbor a misconception about the revival of the Retired Armed Forces Officers Club (RAFOC) that I had posted in my weblog on June 2nd 2010. The misconception appears to be centered on the argument as described by one of my readers, that the ‘legacy of class separation’ and the practice of ‘rigid social etiquettes’ is still obvious among some officers.

While I agree with some of the comments made by my readers in my earlier posting, I would say that if at all there was ‘class separation’ and ‘rigid social etiquettes’ at any function were senior military officers are involved, then I’d say that it wasn’t done deliberately by the organizers’; rather it was done as a show respect to the senior ones.

I certainly would not like to see, say a retired CDF being left on his own to find his own seat, or walk around aimlessly looking for a conversation. I think the onus lies in the junior who must willingly approach the retired CDF or seniors, and to show them their seat, or to begin a casual conversation with them. I don’t think this is too bothersome for anyone to do; rather it will only show true comradeship and an undiminished loyalty to someone our senior, despite all of us being retirees. And isn’t this being taught to us by our parents when we were small i.e. to respect those who are elder? It certainly doesn’t hurt to be respectful, even if that person is younger than you. It only shows your dignified and honorable upbringing.

As a 12 year old retiree, I do meet my seniors and juniors often at functions, and meeting them gives me a great feeling. It was only last night where I was seated besides my former boss who was a three star general at a wedding reception, and we talked like old friends. I did not feel like a subordinate, and he too did not show signs that he was still the boss. It was just a talk among old friends, and nothing more. And when I am being approached by a junior, it gives me the feeling that I am still being accepted as their friend. I supposed that same feeling will be felt by my seniors, if I were to approach them first.

While I understand that the primary objective of RAFOC is ‘to bring together retired officers by way of social and other activities so that the good fellowship, espirit-de-corps and spirit of caring in the military community does not extinguish’, I have also interjected a proposal in my posting that RAFOC can further its role as a ‘voice of reason’ in matters affecting defence and security of the nation, as well as those affecting the Armed Forces. I personally do not know how the members will response to this proposal, and most certainly RAFOC should remain apolitical.

To do the above, RAFOC must have the numbers, and by setting aside our little differences while in the service, and to look forward to the positive aspects of RAFOC, we certainly can be that ‘voice of reason’. Being retirees too, we are at a different level of our life, in which friends have a great influence in filling the gap in the remaining years of our life.

I am quite sure RAFOC can play that role in filling the gap in the remaining years of our life, and it is for this reason that I would like to appeal to all retirees of the Armed Forces (regardless of rank) to be with us at RAFOC. And for those who have not received any notice, please call the Honorary Secretary, Lt Kol Dato Nawawi bin Mat Desa (Retired) at 019-3139895 and hope to see all of you at our AGM on Saturday, 26th June 2010 at 1400 hrs at Dewan Hikmat, Malaysian Armed Forces Staff College.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

52 comments:

Ir. Hanafi Ali said...

When lah ALL of you are going to learn? Americans already threw away a lot of these stupid officers/non-officers tradition.

Tradisi ketenteraan ATM also dah outdated. Tentera US tak membezakan officer dengan non-officers, semua sama berbaris makan at the same counter. ATM kalau keluar operasi, satu trak khas peralatan mess untuk pegawai. Kat medan pun makan berhidang.

General-general di US potong sendiri rumput kat rumah diorang, tak ada batman or runner. Di Malaysia, zip seluar pun suruh batman or ADC zipkan gamaknya.

Anonymous said...

Helo Brother Hansac,
Apa yang kamu kata tu American kita ni MELAYU KAN BEZA TU, apa kau nak suruh aku masuk PBTM yang dipimpin oleh prebet bengap tu.Cukup le tu.Aku sokong bekas pegawai ni tubuh kelab sendiri yang tak nak join tu diam diam aje le.

LIBERO said...

Hansac, That why the American lost all of their battles. Semua rasa nak jadi pegawai dan semua rasa nak jadi non officer. Islam pun suruh bila bergerak dalam kumpulan hendaklah dipilih seorang menjadi ketua. Perlulah ikut dan taat katanya selagi dalam perkara perkara yang benar. Kalau kurang faham setakat itu dahulu.

Unknown said...

Come what may, its always Healthy & Productive to have a Club of togetherness with the Main Objectives being outlined either for a Get Together / Meet Old Friends / Renew Lost Contacts / Secure Ideas / Networking and the like. I see no reason as to why there is some negativity is this.

If you are free please attend. If you are busy and leaving far away, well then no one imposes anything on us to attend. Please acknowledge good ideas accordingly.

Ir. Hanafi Ali said...

WaliMuar/LIBERO.

Therein lies our problem in ATM: the dominance of Malay Muslim ideology.

Every single God-damn thing in ATM was copied lock, stock and barrel from Western culture and civilization. Even KAGAT pun tiru dari American Military Chaplain. But instead of inclusive, kita nak jadi ekslusif. So KAGAT caters only for Muslims/Islam, and our Christian, Hindu and Buddha brothers and sisters-in-combat have to make do and worship outside of camp. The Hindus would have to bear with beef stew, the (some) vegetarian Buddha have to eat non-vege food. Is this the mark of a unified force?

(When I attended PO course in Puswatan in 2008, I lent my rented Serena to my coursemates so that they could attend their Sunday Mass because the Commandant (that time LTC now Brig-Gen Zolkapli Rahmat) did not provide them with transportation!)

Even Singapore AF is FAR MORE advanced than ATM in how they treat their soldiers. For a conscription army, they get better treatment and better attention.

ATM treat our volunteered soldiers like dirt. Atas alasan konon untuk bersedia untuk perang. Kalau itulah alasan, child soldiers of Sierra Leone and Liberia are better trained than our soldiers. Matlamat tidak menghalalkan cara. Kata nak Islam sangat, so use Islam in everything, not just when it suits our agenda.

American lost all their battles? Kata siapa tu? American never did lost Vietnam. They just rasa malas nak berperang and went back home. American won the WW2 in all its glory, their Marines took every inch of the Pacific the hard way, infantry combat. America knew that Japan will fight to the last man, woman and child and decided drop the nuclear bomb so that the Japanese who only understand the language of violence can comprehend.

Germans are civilized people with long-standing military culture and will submit to defeat.

ATM? What we were taught in class is that "bunuh dulu komunis tu, kalau hidup menyusahkan nak bawak balik pulak." Is this the conduct of a gentleman? Wither the rule of war? Geneva Convention?

Mana pergi hukum Islam yang melarang membunuh tawanan?

Bring it on.

Ir. Hanafi Ali said...

WaliMuar.

If RAFOC wants to exist on its own membership fees, donations from public and private sectors, fine with me.

Kalau mengharapkan duit dari kerajaan, I dont agree. I paid a lot of taxes to the government.

If you guys kononnya accomplished leaders generalist management and whatnot did well as officers commanding men, why not lead PBTM?

As someone said, jadi officers ni senang because you're given the powers by virtue of your commission. Tengok in civilian life mahu tak orang dengar cakap you.

Unknown said...

completely agreed with u hansac.

i was in bosnia a more than a decades ago. the british who was attached to us were laughing at us. they can't believed it, our commander become the king. he had 4 porta cabin turned into a palace for a malaysian commander. his palace is equipped with adequate heater, aircond, big bed, a tv while what left for the soldiers? they were like slaves. Isn't this not shameful?

British GOC, a 2 stars gen, his room is just like any officer. no special treatment. Why can't we get treat of this nonsense. or this what RMR called taat setia - treat yr panglima, co etc like a king. this is very truth - i seen many time, in any meeting, all COs from RMR are scared to death to question any decision made by panglima except for an iban CO from the ranger. This explained why the 3 quarter of the general from the army is dominated by RMR. this is the big different between us and the british who had decades ago abolished those stupid traditions

mcm mana army nak transform as a credible force jika mentality "taat setia" for decades indoctrinated the malay officers (panglima2 & CO-CO) that they must be treated like a king by their very own race, the malay soldiers?

Ir. Hanafi Ali said...

Do you guys know how much I earn per month? I earn more than the CDF. I pay taxes to LHDN more than 50K per year. But I chose to join TA and I was reprimanded sorely during my PO course by a stupid 28-year-old kapten because this stupid kapten cannot understand English properly.

Bodoh punya RMR officer. Tapi the recent crop of RRR officers pun lebih kurang jugak. Bukannya macam dulu, lepasan HSC and MCE.

taming said...

Dato',

If ever there is a misconception about the revival of RAFOC I feel that it is only the views of few who are not comfortable to see some members who appear to continue to "wear their stars" on their shoulders and remain high profile, forgetting that we are all "RETIRED MILITARY".

We should not bother about these few characters whom I know one day would realise that respect is for what you are and not because you had ranks and positions before.
I am sure RAFOC members are matured people who would give due respect to those who deserve it.

I fully support RAFOC and I hope members would elect the new President and Committee who will comprise personalities with no preference to any particular rank, service and corp. They must also be people who can deliver and would place RAFOC above personal interests.

RAFOC must remain APOLITICAL and NEVER be in the same situation as PBTM which has been ruined by turning it into an "UMNO Crony" with almost all its Committee Members comprise of active UMNO members, either an ADUN, MP or failed election candidates. What a shame!

My biggest hope is for RAFOC NEVER to be used as a platform for few individuals to rub shoulders with political leaders in the country.

norzah said...

Wow, Dato. hot debate on the officer-non-officers relationship. I thought the army was the most cohesive group with very strong esprit-de-corp. The gap between high-ranking officers and the common soldiers seem as great as you find it in the Malaysian Administrative Service or PTD. At any formal gathering the Superscalers will group with their peers at various levels and the timescalers will stay apart. A one time I was chastised by the big boss for playing carrom with an office boy who was the office champion. I think the egalitarian principles must be held, and all traces of feudalism abolished. That might revitalixed your RAFOC. Good luck.

F said...

The strenght of most Western armies, and I'm sure also in Tentera Darat, lie in having a sound cadre of NCO's. Recently in an article,an American writer observed how there is a system of hierachy in the South Korean and a few other Asian armed forces between officers and the rank and file, leading to experienced NCO's being unwilling to point out to their officers any mistakes made.

LIBERO, the only reason the Allies won in WW1 and WW2 was because of the American entry into the war. The reason Bosnia and Kosovo are now sovereign nations and were not gobbled up as part of Greater Serbia was because ofU.S. political and later military intervention. If it was left to the EU, there would be no Bosnia and Kosovo now. The Vietnam war was a political failure/disaster not a military one. By 1969 the VC, as a result of losses during the Tet offensive was a spent force, after that it was the NVA that was the main player, look it up. I'm not big fan of U.S. foreign policy but lets give credit when due and of course also be critical when we we have too.

FMZam said...

RAFOC? My balls, if I see just one of its members is one corrupt ex-general, it is good enough that RAFOC is where ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! When will you all start to learn to live out your second life free from the shadow of corrupt generals?

I am with Hansac and all of you level minded people against this wall that separates officers and non-officers. But by all means, those of you who believe what Arshad Raji is selling please go on with your belief in RAFOC, I just don't believe in this bloody RAFOC to be of any good other than for recreational purposes, because RAFOC is just a CLUB, what else to talk much on it.

And why the hell Arshad Raji is behaving like a RAFOC salesman, selling his idea for the second maybe third time posting about RAFOC? Why is Arshad Raji so keen on this RAFOC now, while he is supposed to lead the Crusade Against Corruption, that his blog is becoming so drifted away from the Crusade?

We haven't finished fighting corruption in the military but this blog is already starting to look like a history or down memory lane blog!

Unknown said...

I definitely concur with our friend who wrote about Bosnia and RMR Kings, that mentality lives on until today. Let's be frank about it, overall the army is RMR dominant and other corps officers are treated as second class hence there is very little chance that the mentality and attitude will ever change. Simply hoped that RAFOC will not be an extension of aristocracy among retirees

pendita said...

Dear Dato' and members,

I don't really agree to some of the postings here.

I think some of us are so blunt. Not all the Generals or even soldiers can be call `stupid' (refer to Hansac) and arrogant. Some Generals are really `down to earth' attitude, soft spoken and well respected among his subbordinates and ORs (among them Dato' Arshad himself).

Biarlah cakap tu berlapik, jangan nak cakap hentam keromo saja.

To Mr Hansac, who cares you for paying 50K for your own taxes.

Ir. Hanafi Ali said...

" who cares you for paying 50K for your own taxes."

Sikap-sikap macam ni yang menjahanamkan negara. Cukai yang saya bayar tu untuk membangunkan negara, menjaga kebajikan tentera, untuk menurap jalan, untuk kemaslahatan umum.

Bukan untuk kelab ekslusif.

PAHAM.

benadam said...

If one read through the seven paragraphs of this posting Pak Chad did not touch on how the coffer of RAFOC is to be filled folks. He just appealed to retired officers to attend the AGM. Not entirely fair to crucify Pak Chad. So gentlemen on this “tepuk dada tanya selera” samaada nak attend ke tidak.

Unknown said...

dear Dato'

yes what fmzam say is right, why are you deviated the topic of fighting the corruption in the amry to another channel that i or we are not interested. is not that we dont respect them let them be on their own whether they want establish a party or club what ever la, let it be them..i am not interested if i have to stand infront of them with a glass of coke and evertime has to say yes sir, yes dato, yes tan sri what ever la..let get to the correct path that you have started earlier 'crusade of corruption' in the army.

please think balik dato..jangan dato sendiri carried away with the issue that does not related to your intial point if entry.

why must i give them the respect i leave the army , i was not called for my last conversation with the PENGARAH and not even a word 'thank you' for my service and also not even a small plaque/momentoes was give to me as an ex-RMR officer.

But i still respect my 'colors' GREEN/RED/YELLOW/RED/GREEN.

Remaung Enam Renjer said...

Hi Datuk,

Move on Datuk. Just ignore the negative comment of this guy name HANSAC. Probably he is just the ex-TA officer who is not qualified to join RAFOC. By the way Datuk what is the criteria for one to join RAFOC? I am residing in Sarawak but keen to attend therefore join RAFOC.

Thanks

Capt's Longhouse said...

dear all and indeed i hear you guys,

,,,Sad as it is, may i share this with my fellow malaysian bro/sis. ...I will remove the damaged caused by spite and grief, or else i have surrendered my happiness into the hands of circumstances. Indeed, anger, is more harmful than the injury that first evoked it. Understanding, reconciliation and acceptance are vital. Why must sickness, sadness and frustration be my way of life ?. Instead i will make the most of each day plus give max. meaning and purpose to my life and living.
,,,my world will no longer be a depressed or barren place even as i survive on my own on an island. I will look at life and living, afresh, one full of life, endless potential, charm and marvel. Guess being greatfull too, am happy, healthy and strong, for i am all i have got.
...My sheer will to carry a fountain of gratitude, joy, love and forgiveness within myself is enough to bring all the well being i need.
,,,if my revival is not as dramatic as i wished it is O.K. lah. I will just carry on doing whatsoever comes next and live one day to the next...its my only direction forward.
,,,I hope and pray others have their own ways too. Mine is just that.
...LIFE is very short, lets try to make the bloody best out of it ?.

Salam MUHIBAH to all.

Unknown said...

I think most of us are with you Capt's Longhouse, well said and thank you.
For Dato' please move on ...

pendita said...

Dear Hansac,

Saya terasa terlalu malu untuk memberitahu jumlah cukai yang saya bayar setiap tahun.

Kalaupon ia mungkin lebih atau kurang dari RM50K, saya rasa ia mungkin memberi tafsiran atau persepsi kepada pembaca. saya rasakan ada kalangan orang yang lebih besar membayar cukai setiap tahun, tapi dia tak pernahpun nak gembar gemburkan disini.

Mungkin mereka berpegang kepada `GET MORE, PAY MORE'.

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Sdr Hansac,
What is so great to tell the world that u are paying 50K taxes per annum because others who pays more than u just shut up and just keep silent.Its reflect your mens rea of bragging I beleive.

Brother, if u are not qualified to join us ex officers of the Armed Forces to form a Club of our own then u just shut ..

Unknown said...

Pak Chad,
That is the problem with you. You are too nice a person to even think negatively about others let alone deride them.
I am sure by now you must have a fair idea why people in the blog relate to you the way they do.
The answer is very simple. Because they like you and believe in your crusade against the corruption scourge that is destroying our country. But most of all, they respect you because you are a decent guy; was a good officer and a gentleman and above all a good leader of men. You are a person who display and profess everything that is decent even in retirement. To my mind, you are the man Dato Arshad!!!
So please stick to the main theme. Don't get us embroiled in this RAFOC bruhaha!! It serves no purpose at all.
As you can see, not all your readers favour the club.
Do read in between the lines to actually feel the underlyig resentment towards the club.

FMZam said...

WaliMuo,

The first time we were talking about RAFOC, you wrote in your resentment and suggested we should better have a political party instead of a CLUB or an NGO for ex-military people. Why the change now? Well it's OK if you have a change of heart, you're human after all, but why go hard on Hansac? At least he's one consistent person to stick to his stand and bold enough to stick his neck out knowing well he would be against the wave of Arshad Raji symphatizers.

I don't see any wrong if Hansac is "showing off" to me he's being frank, because I see some others too have been "showing off" in one way or another, implicitly or explicitly, some even "masuk bakul", to impress their good lifestyles and achievement to others.

Hansac maybe a TA but a TA like him is an ex-soldier of his own class, even better than those ex-soldiers who didn't know the facts to say American lost all their battles?

And I too have a change of heart that I now started to call Dato' Arshad as Arshad Raji because I see Arshad Raji is no longer the man he used to be. I don't know who Arshad Raji is now!

Ir. Hanafi Ali said...

WaliMuar.

You said: "What is so great to tell the world that u are paying 50K taxes per annum because others who pays more than u just shut up and just keep silent."

It is because of that kind of attitude that this country is going to the drain, bodoh.

Where is accountability, transparency, integrity. I want my tax money to be used properly, and my stint in TA and the stories I heard from the regulars and in blogs everywher, shows that my tax money, YOUR tax money, everyone's tax money, is being abused and used all and sundry. PAHAM.

Susah jugak bercakap dengan orang bodoh ni.

Ir. Hanafi Ali said...

Going back to the original articles, what is the use for RAFOC? What's wrong with PBTM? Or ATM ex-officers feel that it is beneath them to take "orders" from junior officers and rank-and-file? Oi, you guys dah civilian. Learn to be one. Your kursus peralihan should have a syllabus "how to think like a civilian" (do officers go through kursus peralihan? I dont know, BECAUSE I WAS JUST A TA).

What is the justification for RAFOC? Yet another social club? Whatever for?

Ir. Hanafi Ali said...

Actually in Malaysia there are two types of ex-military officers. The first type is the one that speaks and write impeccable English. The second type is the one that does not.

There is only one type of ATM officers currently. And they dont speak no damn English.

So blogs like this will go unnoticed by the majority of servicemen. And majority of Malaysians.

Thank you.

Have a nice day.

Unknown said...

dear walimuar,

yes i think so, i think he has been carried away with other interest and issue. the title in his blog sound different or maybe he is already feel happy that the former PTD has resigned. There is a lot issued to highlighted like Ops Pasir and also other misued allocation, bias, or maybe somebody have given him some indication to run away from the actual concept.

Dato' i want to raise an issue here on re-establish or reform-up again the royal malay regiment that has been disbanned or "digantung buat sementara waktu". Why the batalion was disbanned and why not reativate again, the army have the money to buy 8x8, so why not reativate the disbanned batalion again. i am the ex-officer from the Royal Malay Regiment so i raise this issue because of that so for other corps it up to them. Because in 1990's a lot of officer promoted using unit gantung , sorry i dont know now, correct me if i am wrong. let this people command not sitting on the unit gantung chair and talk big. and also there will be an opening for almost 5000-7000 young boys to join the army.

Anonymous said...

Hansac,
When u called others whom u dont even know bodoh it reflects the inner side of your mens rea which is doubly "bodoh".Smart people are humble,polite and doesnt throw their stupidity to the whole world to read their mind.I beleive u are born to be "bodoh" that is why u cannot argue sensibly and logically or putting your mind in a well mannered lingo which is going to be well respected.That is why u only qualified to become TA and not as regular officer.Ok I rest my case and will not entertain idiotic and senseless taught.Good Bye

Ir. Hanafi Ali said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ir. Hanafi Ali said...

WaliMuar.

You used the phrase "mens rea" twice already in this thread. Takde frasa lain ke bro. You misspelled so many words, (thought NOT taught). In many instances you have displayed less than perfect a pedigree. That is not so bad. What is worst, is that you walk away from a fight.

Seriously, I begin to question whether you're a military officer at all. Or is this the way a federation (of Malaysia) officer beg for mercy? By chickening out?

You put shame to the glorious officers' corp.

ucis said...

Gentlemen,
Pse do not blame Dato,he is just proposing and if any one interested do join in,nevertheless I would very much that he stuck with his crusade.By the way I wish Dato not to allow comment written in other languages except BM or English appear on his blog.Thank you.

nxforget said...

Any language can do ... cut and paste at the following site.

http://translate.google.com/#

You'll see what's written. Well,the meaning is almost close.

FMZam said...

ucis,

This is not a blame game we all know very well Arshad Raji has always managed himself out of any criticism with ease. He even survived the most severe criticism from one EVILISNOTME who claimed Arshad Raji is making use of his blog for a VESTED interest in his company VITA BERAPI, that I now see EVILISNOTME has got a substance in his claim that somehow Arshad Raji is maneuvring his purpose under the new Army's leadership.

I was so concerned with Arshad Raji's stand that someone told me he met Arshad Raji after a prayer in Mindef's mosque sometime last week, where Arshad Raji told that person he would not be writing anymore of corruption in the military but would be writing more on history and down memory lane stories.

Of late Arshad Raji behaviour has been very disturbing to me that I received a compelling accounts of how he evaded calls from a person who had been trying to get his explanation on a posting in his blog and he made promises to that person for a clarification meeting but yet he flawed.

But whatever it was, my concern is if so Arshad Raji would not want to continue with his crusade against corruption, why not he honestly tell us readers so? This is where I see Arshad Raji is just like any other dishonest person and I am very upset because all this while we all have been taken for a ride by a character we so highly regard in him, and yet he has to let us down like a coward?

Allow me to borrow Walimuo's word "mens rae" (the guilty mind) that I think this word is more suited for Arshad Raji the way he had been behaving recently.

Haezrikal said...

Dear FMZam,

I think we should not be unfair to Dato' Arshad by making wild assumption on his standing of Crusade Against Corruption. He has been consistent in his approach and I think he will continue to do so. Let us hear what he got to say on your remarks. Let's be fair to him, VITA BERAPI got nothing to do with the new Army's leadership.

Cool down FMZam and Hansac.....

May Allah bless Dato' Arshad and both of you.

taming said...

Dato' Arshad,

Saya berasa amat dukacita melihat ramai penulis yang saya hormati selama ini tiba-tiba telah menuduh dan mencabar Dato' kerana berita dan maklumat yang telah Dato' sebarkan mengenai RAFOC. Saya
tidak terperanjat dengan komen-komen negatif mereka yang berpendapat seolah-olah ahli-ahli RAFOC terdiri daripada "corrupted generals".

Saya bukan seperti Dato' dan kawan-kawan lain yang menjadi jeneral, sungguh pun sebahagian besar umur saya telah dikorbankan untuk berkhidmat kepada negara. Saya juga ahli PBTM tetapi sayang sekali persatuan yang sepatutnya menjadi persatuan untuk semua pesara-pesara tentera telah berubah menjadi "PBTM Pegawai Rendah dan lain-lain Pangkat" kerana kepimpinan dan pengurusan yang mengecewakan. Saya ketahui PBTM diibaratkan nasi sudah menjadi bubur!

Saya sekarang sedang mencari satu platform dimana saya dapat bergaul dan bermesera dengan bekas-bekas tentera tidak kira pangkat dan latar belakang yang lebih berpengalaman, matang, berwibawa dan bertamadun.
Saya berpeluang berbincang dengan beberapa pesara tentera daripada berbilang pangkat dan latar belakang termasuk bekas PAT, Panglima Perkhidmatan, pegawai tinggi, bekas Kolonel, Lt Kol, Mejar, Kapt dan Leftenan. Daripada perbincangan dan kajian saya, saya sekarang sangat arif golongan mana yang menyokong dan siapa pula yang menentang.

RAFOC BUKAN untuk "corrupted generals" dan saya ketahui beberapa bekas jeneral ahli RAFOC dan akan menjadi ahli yang merupakan hamba ALLAH yang bersih, suci, berpengalaman, dihormati dan berkemungkinan lebih mulia disisi Allah dibandingkan dengan kita.

Sifatkan RAFOC sebagai satu jumaah di mesjid atau madrasah dan jangan pedulikan jika ada makmum kita syak wasangka yang mahu berjemaah bersama. Jika kita berani dan tegas dengan pendirian, kita boleh bersatu menentang mereka yang disifatkan "corrupted" serta
mengubahkankan mereka menjadi insan yang insaf dan ini adalah satu pengorbanan yang diredhai Allah.

Continue soldiering and crusading against corruptions, Dato'.

Capt's Longhouse said...

dear taming,

Salute to you and may I ?...try again to explain ! eerrmmmm..
...In this timeless plus borderless human activity of socialising via the net, it has begin to cause a lot of grief to some, most unfortunately !.
,,,The fashionable term for it is "sharing". In the process and new context, one starts to volunteering personal information that previously used to be considered off-limits/private/personal to all but the most intimate friends/relatives but that is now taking on a life of its own yaaaa !!!!!.yoohohoo !
,,,People have always tried to manage their reputation and indeed today's IT tool plus network give them powerful tools to do just that.
,,,So most people participate and share enthusiastically as a rational action but the problem is that they quickly lose that control. Some of the information will be eventually be used for something else from its original intent and purpose.
,,,Trust me, if you are the "Paranoia Type" about life and living don't be a blogger or commentor in this internet era !
...YES ?, tetapi kena bertemadun-lah yaa bro./sis. adoi ! sakit membaca setengah-nya dari orang kurang sopan plus kurang ajar.
,,,Who and how to hold anyone accountable for any breaches of privacy ?.
,,,The enemy within and the most ignored of the bigger danger is ourselves or rather oneself !.
,,,Does that mean that it is prudent to opt out of Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Flickr, You Tube and the likes ?. Probably not cos. participation has indeed become almost automatic and its the "in" thing.
,,,The only remaining choice is whether or not to inject our own perspective, within our blog/comments, into this never ending stream of narratives, to preserve whatsoever control remains in presenting our own image.
,,,The wise will still share things about himself/herself but one must also become more hyper-sensitive about sharing collateral information about others, in the hope that reciprocity and a new etiquette will eventually limit everybody's vulnerability, including one's own.

i rest my case... and Dato, please carry on with your blogging, indeed its the very platform WE are able to communicate - tak kira pangkat, bangsa atau pendapat. We can "agree to disagree" but just be cortes-lah about it.

FMZam said...

When Arshad Raji is silent on my charges, you all may say what you want on my ctiticism until we hear from him. This is not RAFOC that matters and as I've said it you all can go on with RAFOC all you want, nobody's stopping, and RAFOC may be anything you all wish so until it materialises into your perception or not, we leave it to fate. I am not against RAFOC, I am just not for it.

I'm against an impostor and Arshad Raji knows what I'm talking about and he is silent that this thread has not moved since 8 days ago. What's wrong with him that he cannot accept criticism? And what paranoid is you when you brand criticism as kurang ajar? Who's paranoid?

Arshad Raji can keep silent and let others say things for him and I expect some people will use this to capitalise vending on me whatever their vengeance, but I cannot be discouraged by this if I am afraid to face criticism myself for turning against a man whom I have held him in high esteem all this while.

Prove me wrong that Arshad Raji is no longer consistent in fighting corruption when he cowed away from being a man of honour in the moment of truth of honouring his real life acts to a particular person I've mentioned.

Unknown said...

Dear Longhouse (uban),
You are something of an enigma; sometimes you ramble along without making much sense at all while at other times, you strike at the very heart of the issue.
A case in point is your stand on the rants voiced by a few participants regarding Dato'Arshad Raji's tendency to steer away from the main theme of corruption. To that end, some have even accused him of being selfish and bertaying the cause. How thoughtless can we get I don't know?
To that end, I share your view in accepting and upholding the survival tenet of 'each man his own'. I am a firm believer that since the Mindnoevil blogspot actually belongs to him, he has every right to do pretty much what he pleases; even deviating from the main theme, which he does, every once in a while. Personally, I do not see anything wrong in this at all!!
After all, he is the one receiving the threats, the 'sumpah-seranah' and the injunctions from Mindef contractors, not commentators like us. We have the advantage of having pseudonyms. He does'nt have that. Bagilah dia chan sikit!!
Furthermore, sticking steadfastly to corruption related issues is actually quite boring.Jangan pulak nanti kita jadi lembu cucuk hidung!!!Kita teriak macam manapun, tak ada apa-apa berlaku. Tengoklah sendiri. KSU Mindef naik pangkat jadi KPPA, PAT dapat lagi satu Tan Sri, PAT lama dapat jadi Your Excelency dan PTD lama pula pencen dan rehat walafiat.
We must add colour to our lives. Every once in a while we should dwell on other issues but specific to the Armed Forces. Then we can have a bit of variety. After all, variety makes life more spicy and interesting!!!
I sense this resentment towards the blogger surfaced as an immediate backlash to his tacit support for RAFOC. If at all that were the case, i must stand guilty for my part in stoking the fire in the first place!! Sorry about that Dato'. I should not have touched on the highly sensitive neo-feudal class classification practices of the MAF!!!
Just out of interest Dato', can you ascertain from your friends in the pro-tem committee of RAFOC whether or not they have sent application forms to the former PTD and TAT? I am afraid this aspect will determine whether or not I and a few others submit our application forms. Kita tak hendak jilat ludah kita baleklah!!!
Happy fathers day to you Dato', Capt Longhouse at this time of year 'korje kamu nengok bikini-clad babes aje ke'???
And the same Wishes to every father in the blog...

Capt's Longhouse said...
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Capt's Longhouse said...
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benadam said...

Wau!! Sound like Karl Jesper’s “verbal diarrhea” from the book ‘Six Existentialist Thinkers’

Capt's Longhouse said...

,,indeed, you are dead right !hehehe matey. I needed something from the toilet at times to share around.

benadam said...

Appreciate that. BTW can I swim to Pulau Kapas?
My apology Pak Chad for this transgression!!!

Capt's Longhouse said...

,,,indeed, sharks rule swim at your own risk. yoohohoo !

Unknown said...

Saudara benadam,
Thank you for the critique.
Even a road-side scribe like me acknowledge and appreciate the true value of criticism. Sadly, as ordinary humans, we do react to unsolocited diatribes.
There is no need to resort to inuendos or refer to the works of paperback pugilist to get your message across. We are ex-soldiers remember!! We take things standing up, no matter what. Unless of course you were never one.
Dato Arshad, I must confess it is getting increasingly difficult indeed to get across to people in this blogspot. There are already amongst us the Lebais, the Tok Gurus, the peace activist, the nouvo-rich, the war historian, the 'beach bum' and even a few persdonalities who consistently display schizo.. attributes. I must say, despite these vagaries, I have coped rather well.
Enter the pseudo-intelect and his scholiastic tendency.... Sorrylah Pak Chad, 'macam tentera Jepun in 1945', I surrender!!
Benadam, thank you for nothing!!!
Your call.

Capt's Longhouse said...

Benadam,

,,,hi there, now you can guess why ?. Some don't read enough yet come to fast conclusion ! You figure why i need to run to the toilet often nowadays ?.

i rest my case, enough said buddy. Good night.

FMZam said...

When what was posted are things from the toilet, even the stupid will not want to read SHITS! Don't claim you're so well read to impress others when all you can impress is you "shit from what you eat".

As WIRA (a street scribe - penulis jalanan) put it "There is no need to resort to inuendos or refer to the works of paperback pugilist to get your message across. We are ex-soldiers remember!! We take things standing up, no matter what", we are all as clever as anyone of us to know just who is making the fool out of himself.

Wait till you see anyone you call a lesser read person will make you more stupid than any Malaysian general.

benadam said...

Saudara Capt Longhouse, Wira dan FMZam,

At the very outset I wish to mention that I am a “new kid on the block” in this bolgspot. Lest I be branded as being pompous hare-brained, I am making this posting on the strength of Sdr Wira’s assertion that ‘We take things standing up, no matter what.’ And not forgetting the spirit that a teacher of mine had imparted more than half a century ago about the virtues of self-denial and more importantly: I stand corrected!!!

I am agreeable with Sdr Wira who wrote, “…I must confess it is getting increasingly difficult indeed to get across to people in this blogspot. There are already amongst us the Lebais, the Tok Gurus, the peace activist, the nouvo-rich, the war historian, the 'beach bum' and even a few personalities who consistently display schizo.. attributes. I must say, despite these vagaries, I have coped rather well…” and I think that’s how we should react be it when we are the giver or at the receiving end of any exchange.

We are what we are, but I would hasten to add that that right to be heard must be tempered accordingly. In this instance, the operative word here, my dear brothers, is DECORUM - i.e keSOPANan yang menjurus supaya beradab menuturkan sesuatu ide terutamanya yang bercorak personal.

S- select right time and place
O- open up with words without rancour
P- pleasent demeanour is more respectful
A- articulate
N- nature good rapport

In the spirit of the above I would like to share what I consider a mother of all gems. I got this in my email about 2 years ago and I am totally humbled. Maybe some of you are aware about this gem but its worth revisiting it.

PAKU DIDINDING HATIMU…

Ada seorang pemuda yang sangat pemarah. Dia tidak dapat mengawal kemarahannya walaupun ianya hanya satu masalah kecil sahaja. Pada suatu hari, bapanya telah menghadiahkannya dengan seguni paku.

“Untuk apakah paku-paku ini ayah?” tanya pemuda tersebut.
“Setiap kali kamu marah, kamu pakulah tembok batu di hadapan rumah kita
ini, bagi melepaskan kemarahan mu” jawab ayahnya.

Pada hari yang pertama sahaja, pemuda itu telah memaku sebanyak 37 batang paku pada tembok batu tersebut. Selepas beberapa minggu, setelah dia dapat mengurangkan kemarahannya, jumlah paku yang digunakan juga berkurangan.

Dia mendapati, adalah lebih mudah mengawal kemarahannya dari memukul paku menembusi tembok batu tersebut. Akhirnya tibalah pada suatu hari,dimana pemuda tersebut tidak marah, walau sekali pun.

Dia pun memberitahu ayahnya mengenai perkara tersebut dengan gembira.
Bapanya mengucapkan tahniah dan menyuruh dia mencabut kembali paku itu
satu persatu, pada setiap hari yang ia lalui tanpa kemarahan.

Hari berganti hari, dan akhirnya dia berjaya mencabut kesemua paku-paku
tersebut. Pemuda tersebut lantas memberitahu perkara tersebut kepada
bapanya dengan bangganya.

Bapanya lantas memimpin tangannya ke tembok tersebut dan berkata “Kau
telah melakukannya dengan baik, anakku, tetapi lihatlah kesan lubang-lubang
di tembok batu tersebut, tembok itu tidak akan kelihatan sama lagi seperti sebelumnya. Bila kau menyatakan sesuatu atau melakukan sesuatu ketika marah, ianya akan meninggalkan kesan parut dan luka, sama seperti ini. Kau boleh menikam seseorang dengan pisau dan membunuhnya. Tetapi ingatlah walau berapa kali kau memohon maaf dan menyesal atas perbuatam mu, namun lukanya masih tetap ada. Luka di hati adalah lebih pedih dari luka fizikal.

Sahabat adalah permata yang sukar dicari. Mereka membuatkan kamu ketawa dan menggalakanmu ke arah kejayaan.
Sahabat juga adalah seorang pendengar, berkongsi suka dan duka dan sentiasa membuka hatinya kepada kita.

“Maafkan saya sekiranya saya pernah meninggalkan kesan berlubang dinding hati anda. “

Salam buat semua

Arunzab said...

Saudara Benadam,
Thankyou for your post I too have come across this saying it is about (Recognising Anger and Coming Out of It) This here is some what the English version and perhaps may compliment your Bahasa version.

There was a boy living in a village who was always angry, getting upset over even minor issues and shouting at others. His father gave him some nails and a hammer. He told him "Every time you get angry, you hammer a nail into the wall". The boy kept hammering several nails. Sometimes while hammering, he hurt his fingers also. When the boy saw so many nails on the wall, he understood that he was getting angry too frequently and realised he had to do something about it.

When he returned the nails and the hammer, his father asked him. ‘Did you learn anything now?". The boy showed his fingers and said, “I hurt myself unnecessarily when I get angry." His father asked him to go back and remove all the nails. When he came back, he asked him. "Did you notice anything on the wall?". The boy said, "There are lots of dents on the wall". The father immediately said, "Every time you get angry, you are not only hurting yourself; you are also hurting others and creating dents in people around you ".

Anger kills reasoning, destroys relationships, erodes the trust between two people, fuels unpleasant thoughts and puts an end to good feelings

Cheers

Capt's Longhouse said...

benadam & arunzab,

,,,thanks guys, lets put to rest this unfortunate issue, for we are diverting from dato's RAFOC clearification for the rest of us in the very first place-lah.
,,,rather than procrastinating, we should be more creative to take fruitful actions always too. And i prefer to set my priorities against negativism, distractions plus dirty malaysian politics that WE are all presently facing at this moment in time.
,,,am aware of the unpleasentness that had been created, and am perhaps party to it. Am indeed sorry too. O.K. lets move forward yaa.
,,,tks again guys !. Am not going to waste my time, its running short as it is. Yeop Oii !!

Capt's Longhouse said...

dear Wira,
,,,sorry you got it all wrong with Benadam with ref. to your ; "Benadam, thank you for nothing!!!
Your call."
,,,He was actually in fact, refering to me !...NOT you buddy !! and we were just sharing what both of us have read somewhere of an similar subject isuue and he has nothing against YOU !!. So pls don't just jump into such negativity against poor Benadam yaa . If ever anyone were to be offended, its me not YOU really-lah but am game to it.
,,,the trouble with you dear WIRA, you take things too personal plus do get personal for no bloody good reason too. Relax be cool bro. none of us really know each other and its just an opinion/comment from our heart on subject matter raised by dear dato. We can agree to disagree but don't go around trying to be mr. perfect-lah...none of us are. Am not here trying to teach you anything, you are what you are and i don't care a rat shit too about you. Don't be offended about it.
,,,most time, am just discussing with dato and not anyone else-lah.
,,,in fact, self discipline is the crown jewels in a person's character.

Benadam,
,,,regards again, do swim across-lah hihihi my pet sharks are tame but be careful with Jane my dog. hahhhaha !.