Napoleonic minor clones ...

TIME'S UP
FOR THE 'LITTLE
NAPOLEONS'

For a few seconds, I thought Pak Lah had a direct message, no, a reprimand actually, to people like ME. Yes, Desi.

I was first taken aback, next affronted, then I settled down to my pre-CON BF. Was pacified as I read the story further.


Our beloved Prime Minister was lambasting those civil servants who were anything but civil.
A minority among the 0ne-million-strong Goverment service no doubt, but these litle terrors are a bane to many fellow citiznes who have had the UNLUCK to cross their Napoleonik path.

So as I was saying occasionally here, here's a GOD-FEARING LEADER trying to strike THE FEAR OF GOD
in little-men&women. Essentially these civil servants -- whose numbers I agree with the PM are small, but enough to do untold damage to the entire service's reputation! -- that Pak Lah targeted are just that: SMALL PEOPLE, according to the limited Chinoserie that Desi knows (lowers my voice).

From the New Straits Times, APRIL 15, 2006, frontpage:

They throw their weight around, impede progress and find pleasure in giving members of the public the runaround but ...

'Please remember this. There are 'little Napoleons' all
over the place who like to show power by delaying things...
Don't show off just because you have power.'

~~~(continued on page 2)



PM: Show your power by delivering the goods

PUTRAJAYA: The Prime Minister calls them "little Napoleons". The rest of Malaysia knows this small group of civil servants not by any name but by their actions — they throw their weight around, impede progress and find pleasure in giving members of the public the runaround.

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday took aim at the "Little Napoleons", telling them to stop their petty displays of power. He ticked off heads of department and officials who delayed giving approvals or who sat on files, telling them instead to "facilitate, don’t frustrate".

He said since the people had given their backing to the Ninth Malaysia Plan, all ministries and government agencies should work hard and implement their projects with speed, sincerity and pride.

The few who caused delays because they wanted to throw their weight around would only tarnish the Government’s name, he said.

"There’s no need to show how powerful you are by delaying… I don’t agree with that. Don’t show power by holding back the file. Instead, show how powerful you are by quickly implementing and facilitating. Please remember this.

"There are ‘little Napoleons’ all over the place who like to show power by delaying things," Abdullah said in his monthly assembly address at the Finance Ministry yesterday, referring to powerful French Revolution general and ruler Napoleon Bonaparte.

"These people do this because they think they should teach other people a lesson for making noise (raising complaints or issues). Instead, find out what the problems are. There must be a reason."

Abdullah said he was not painting all civil servants with the same brush, but there were a few who behaved this way. As the consequences affected national projects, this attitude had to be addressed.

"This group of a few causes problems to so many. We must help one another and admonish one another."

:
:
~~~~~~~~~

DESIDERATA: I googled on my schooldays hero, and

Lucidcafé.com reawrded me with a precise summary (Revised: November 16, 2005), and subsequent comments arose from my faint recall from watching the movie WAR and PEACE some three or four times and yet I couldn't catch up with my Great General! Short legs, but quick steps. One step sdrawkcab, one-hop-step&jump forwards... No wonder many of his soldiers perished in the cold winter on the Russian steppes.


Emperor of the French
1769 - 1821
"Ambition is never content,
even on the summit of greatness."
—Napoleon Bonaparte

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio on the Mediterranean island of Corsica. Through his military exploits and his ruthless efficiency, Napoleon rose from obscurity to become Napoleon I, Empereur des Francais (Emperor of the French). He is both a historical figure and a legend—and it is sometimes difficult to separate the two. The events of his life fired the imaginations of great writers, film makers, and playwrights whose works have done much to create the Napoleonic legend.

Napoleon decided on a military career when he was a child, winning a scholarship to a French military academy. His meteoric rise shocked not only France but all of Europe, and his military conquests threatened the stability of the world.

Napoleon was one of the greatest military commanders in history. He has also been portrayed as a power hungry conqueror. Napoleon denied being such a conqueror. He argued that he was building a federation of free peoples in a Europe united under a liberal government. But if this was his goal, he intended to achieve it by taking power in his own hands. However, in the states he created, Napoleon granted constitutions, introduced law codes, abolished feudalism, created efficient governments and fostered education, science, literature and the arts.

Emperor Napoleon proved to be an excellent civil administrator. One of his greatest achievements was his supervision of the revision and collection of French law into codes. The new law codes—seven in number—incorporated some of the freedoms gained by the people of France during the French revolution, including religious toleration and the abolition of serfdom. The most famous of the codes, the Code Napoleon or Code Civil, still forms the basis of French civil law. Napoleon also centralized France's government by appointing prefects to administer regions called departments, into which France was divided.

While Napoleon believed in government "for" the people, he rejected government "by" the people. His France was a police state with a vast network of secret police and spies. The police shut down plays containing any hint of disagreement or criticism of the government. The press was controlled by the state. It was impossible to express an opinion without Napoleon's approval.

Napoleon's own opinion of his career is best stated in the following quotation:

I closed the gulf of anarchy and brought order out of chaos. I rewarded merit regardless of birth or wealth, wherever I found it. I abolished feudalism and restored equality to all regardless of religion and before the law. I fought the decrepit monarchies of the Old Regime because the alternative was the destruction of all this. I purified the Revolution.

DESI shares some common trails with his hero: Short and storky; in his military boots, Napoleon stood at about 5' 6'' (from my estimate of seeing him on celluloid in War&Peace, and Desi is also thereabouts (vertically, can't be equatorially rite!) when he's wearing high heels, not twisted.

Napoleon had his Napoleon Code for which the French people were/are truly proud of, mainly a contributor to the civilised state of where France is today, besides of course, th influence of Madamemoseille X (whose identity is privi only to mGf Howsy - now on his most expensive city-holiday with Esther - and Desi, and Brigitte Bardot.
Desi, off curse, has his famous -- to some Y@A, infamous! - Da Desi Code, with copyleft to helenALLOFTHEE.

My recall about Napoleon's fall -- historical or fictional I can't vouch! -- was that the General underestimated the harsh, cold Winter that was Russia, and like a stubborn mule, he continued to march his tried and tired troops to conquer Leningrad, and all the other ...grads.

What Man proposed, Nature disposed off in good time, and Napoleon met his defeat at WATERLOO, at the hands of another greta general (much taller, hence I hate him!) named Wellington. Some band two centuries later made a few millions out of poor Napoleon's fall at Waterloo. Remember Abba? Baa-baa-baa. I plan to claim some royalty on behalf on my dead but not gonna idol.

I owe IT to him. He APpointed many prefects. I was one of them -- yes, behaving like Little Napoleons! -- in my school, some 200 years late...I think Pak Lah should tell his Education Minister to RE-THINK this system of APpointing prefects...

But the end of Napoleon, not so little, came on the island of ELBA where he was banished without his Queen. But he left a legacy in the following AAA-fAmous last words:

:
:
:

ABLE WAS I
eRe
I saw Elba.

:
:
:

Fishtail -- who could also be another Napoleon-aspirant, "It Takes a Thief To" ... -- what is the nama of such a sentence which reads the same as the right way as when one reads it ala GOSTAN?

April half-challengiA: Other Readers who come back before fisttail and cite one EXAMPLE can stand to win 1-in-THREE PRIZES if they have the patience to collect Come September, 2006?One of my Fave months, ''member?...

Deadline plus WARNING: Check with Napoleon-lah, I hear he's still roaming the castle of Duke Wellington in Yolk, England. Only ahlf an hour before and Post-midnight, you must be dressed in your birddae suit. The knights there have a fetsih for pretty young and ill-informed gals and unaccompanied boys!


UPDATE:

From someONE who steal prefers frying over the crooked bridge, with Lois lane-in-arms:

joepsc said...

You already have one "PALINDROMIC" phrase on your post - "Able was I ere I saw Elba".

2 other palindromes:

"A man, a plan, a canal. Panama," (commemorating Theodore Roosevelt),

and "Madam, I'm Adam," from the Holy Bible.

Since it's Easter time, I won't lie...I got from Wikipedia!

Happy Easter folks.

2:30 PM

Desi: Two Salutes to S'n-lutes.


DESIDERATA: Two more ladies to the podium -- No wonder the Gomen is running scared that the local universities are being swarmed (70%!) by the fairer sex. Just, not fair.

Hey, you Malaysian guys, I can't help you IF YOU DON'T HELP YOURSELVES. Desi's extending RPIZES to SE7EN, steal my fave number. The sext two must ne male -- to show that Desi's wrold is truly gender-equal!
Seefei, DreamerI and Bros Imran and Danegrous V, Where Art THou?



A Palindrom for dessica:
OK,
A Toyota's a Toyota,
KO

wan summore???

I'd say, nepolidesi looks smashin on hi-heels. u think u ken "NAIL LILLIAN?? "

By Fashionasia, at 3:14 PM

"Referring to 'It takes a thief to' -

Murder for a jar of red rum?

Don't nod:

No won refer now on.

Never odd or even.

Noon.

Twisted Heels @


DESI: Brother Joe, and sis THeels, what do you call a word that reads the same both directions like "NOON"?