F5E engines theft - no traitor nor treason

First it happened.

Disbelief initially … no, surely there must be some mistake.

Then reality dawned.

Panic set in.

Cover up.

Attempts then made to trace the missing item … WTF … itemS?

You mean two of them?

No choice … have to report upwards.

WHAT?!!

Cover up again.

Wait … these are too f* big … no choice, report upwards.


WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You must be f* joking.

No, you’re not joking [sigh].

OK lah, sack them, but don’t break rice bowl of one-star. No no no, no criminal charges, we’d look bad too, just cover it up.

But even an egg will leak, what more with such a big organization with thousands of mouths and double that of ears.

And with that, agonising piece by piece, over a period of almost 3 years, the news leaked out, finally reaching the public ears.

Not that those top ar$eh%le$ were worried during that 3 years. Apa susah, we’ll sort it out when the peasants hear of it.

So now, cries of traitors, treachery, treason abound, just to protect the top ar$eh%le$’ ar$eh%le$ [note first ar$eh%le$ is in the possessive case].

What is treason?

Well, the good old dictionary tells us that treason is any attempt to overthrow the government or impair the well-being of a state to which one owes allegiance, or the crime of giving aid or comfort to the enemies of one's government.

Really, did any of that happen?

If you think the security of the nation depends on 2 mere engines, then we're in even deeper trouble than we realise.

An air force has spare engines, more than what would be required for the total number of aircraft of a certain type, because engines can go kaput or need to be periodically serviced, thus requiring timely replacements.

So don't give me the bullsh*t that by stealing the engines, those thieves had affected national security.There's no doubt they are thieves, but traitors who committed treason? Nonsense!

Bear in mind too that treason is a capital offence which carries the death penalty.

Even sedition, which is an act directed unlawfully against state authority, the government, or constitution, or calculated to bring it into contempt or to incite others to hostility, according to the dictionary, does not amount to treason and therefore is not a capital offense.

So how can plain old fashion theft amount to treason?

If fact, those gouging the public coffers, plundering the national wealth, allowing structures weakened by their policies and lack of due diligence to kill members of the public or lil' schoolgirls, complicit in enabling foreigners to assume roles as 1st class citizens which ought to be rightfully owned by those born here, have been far far more treasonous that some thieves of engines.

Those of us who criticise, condemn and crucify the PM (former Def Min), the current Def Min and the military No 1 chief must be careful not to let them avoid responsibilities by hiding behind the conjured-up traitors.

The consequences would be:

(a) ordinary thieves will unjustly receive the death sentences for treason, becoming sacrificial goats for the protection of the people at the top who have been also responsible, and

(b) those leaders evading their responsibility and accountability, and through (a) above, bizarrely become national heroes.

No, there are no traitors in the theft of the F5E engines, just avaricious staff who became thieves of public property, taking examples from above and exploiting a so-called foolproof system which had been abysmally lackadaisical in its structure, procedures, management and control.