Usman Harun – What is the drumming all about?

Everyone is talking tough and acting tough. Even in the social media, many are thumping their chests and acting like fighting cocks. We are the strongest fighting force in the region with all the latest and most expensive American hardware that on paper make us look very good. We are able to take on anyone, big country as well. We fear not, fear no one. This is the kind of silly talks that has engulfed the empty vessels in social media. These empty heads think war is a computer game. We have the software and the hardware, so we can show off, like the Americans. We can start wars and thump anyone who doesn’t agree with us or who doesn’t respect our feelings.

The difference is that the Americans are an Empire and we are just a dot. A rat standing on the head of a tiger and bossing around with bigger animals must remember not to fall down from the tiger’s head. It will be trampled to minced meat and devoured. The Americans also have this capability of taking the war to other countries and fight wars out of American soil. They could hit others and not be hit. The only time when they wet their pants was during the Twin Tower incident. George Bush was running for cover inside America when the enemy took the fight into the American heartland.

Does anyone remember and notice what really happened during Confrontation? Indonesian paratroopers landed in Johore and Singapore, also in East Malaysia. Though everyone claimed that there was no declaration of war, these were acts of war. Why was it that Malaysia did not responded by attacking Indonesia? The British were still with us and still a superior military force. They too did not start a war with the Indonesians. They were only reacting and thinking of fighting the paratroopers and marines infiltrated into our soil. It was just defensive measures, no offensive operations. Singapore also did not send any military forces to attack the Indonesians after the MacDonald House bombing. Maybe we were militarily weak. But we have the British still obligated to protect us. Their forces were still in the island.

The thing is that no one would want a war. Do we want a war? We have the superior weapons of war. Do we want to play with war?

When China was unable to detonate its atom bomb, its top scientist who could detonate the bomb did not want to get involved in making a weapon of mass destruction. He finally was persuaded by the missile and rocketry expert Qian Xue Sen to work on the bomb. The reasoning, to have the atom bomb and not using it was not the same as not having the bomb. The moral of the story was to have the atom to avoid being attacked, not to attack another country or go to war with the bomb.

Singapore may be armed to the teeth, but it must not to be eager to go to war. The powerful weapons we possessed are there to avoid wars. All the cocky and arrogant talks were provocative, unnecessary and unhelpful. Our potential enemies know what we have and what we are capable of. That is good enough to keep them from adventurism, to want to have a war with us. Our capability and military strength must not be excuse for adventurism and foolish thoughts and talks.

Our superior strategy is to be in a position of strength to avoid war. We have been very successful in this and as long as war is prevented. Our strategy depends not only on our superior weapons but on a rational, thinking and wise enemy. When the enemy becomes irrational, emotional and agitated, we have lost. When war starts, we have failed. The death toll and destruction of a war would not be 3 dead and 33 wounded. It would be thousands of times more serious and destructive. Our first strike strategy is only a strategy and is not our special privilege. Do you ever think that our enemy can also have a first strike strategy and when they hit first we are as good as gone?

Don’t always think that we are a few steps ahead of our enemies, that only we can think and plan. Our enemies also can think and can plan and know our every move. Arrogance and unestimating the enemies are the first step to defeat.

Stop the drumming please. And stop walking around and crowing like a silly cock.

Kopi level - Green