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Pig-rearing crisis in Malacca – utterly meaningless advice by Fong Chan Onn

The Cabinet decision that Malacca pig farmers can apply for aid from Bank Negara’s Fund for Food to install proper waste system is utterly meaningless when MCA Ministers and leaders have agreed to ban pig-rearing activities outside Paya Mengkuang in Malacca and the reduction to 48,000 heads of pigs in the state by Sept. 21.

Yesterday, the Human Resources Minister and MP for Alor Gajah, Datuk Seri Dr. Fong Chan Onn told reporters in Parliament that pig farmers from Kampung Bukit Beruang, Kampung Man Lok and Paya Mengkuang in Malacca should apply for aid from Bank Negara’s Fund for Food to install a proper waste system.

Can Fong explain what is the use of such advice to the pig farmers in Bukit Beruang and Man Lok as well as other areas in Malacca state outside Paya Mengkuang when MCA leaders led by him – totally without consultation, mandate or agreement of the pig farmers – had agreed in negotiations at the Masjid Tanah Umno headquarters on Tuesday (4th September) complied with two demands:

  • Ban on all pig-rearing activities in Malacca state apart from Paya Mengkuang; and
  • Reduction of the pig population in Malacca state to 48,000 heads by Sept. 21, which involved the culling or removal out of the state of some 6,000 heads a day for the 17-day period.

Fong should explain what was the use of his going to the Cabinet the next day (Wednesday September 5) to get approval to extend Bank Negara’s Fund for Food aid to pig farmers in Malacca to install proper waste system when he had agreed a day earlier to the ban on all pig farming activities outside Paya Mengkuang in the state?

Wasn’t this a totally empty and meaningless gesture?

Why didn’t Fong secure Cabinet approval very much earlier for all pig farmers in Malacca state to be able to get aid from Bank Negara’s Fund for Food to install proper waste system which would have averted the nine-hour standoff between 2,000-strong multi-agency contingent drawn from Police FRU, Rela, Immigration, state and local government enforcement personnel on the one hand and defenceless men, women and children with the latter forming human barricades at Paya Mengkuang to defend their very livelihood!

Why didn’t Fong and MCA leaders make it clear at the Sept. 4 negotiations at the Masjid Tanah Umno headquarters that the operation to cull the pig population in Paya Mengkuang should be called off and the whole issue referred to the Cabinet meeting the next day — especially when the “show of force” in Paya Mengkuang must be condemned as gross and arrogant abuse of power, not only without notice and totally unlawful but utterly shameful for a country celebrating 50th Merdeka anniversary?

The nine-hour standoff between an armed-to-the-teeth 2,000-strong contingent, together with personnel in space-suits, water cannons and a helicopter in constant reconnaissance on one side, and defenceless men, women and children forming human barrcades on the other to protect their ricebowls, have sent out shock reveberrations to the country and marred the 50th Merdeka anniversary celebrations.

The question which had been uppermost in many minds in the six-week run-up to the 50th Merdeka anniversary celebrations on August 31 had bulked even larger with greater poignancy and urgency– why has Malaysian nation-building gone so terribly wrong when Malaysians should be even more united in a common purpose to achieve greater heights for the country on the occasion of celebrations of half-a-century of nationhood?

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said in Bentong yesterday that the Malacca State Government should negotiate with pig farmers to find the best way to solve the pig farming issue in the state and that any quick action such as culling should be avoided.

Najib said he had asked the Malacca Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Ali Rustam to hold negotiations and Ali Rustam said he was willing to do so.

But Ali Rustam has failed to keep his promise to Najib, passing the buck to his subordinates in the State Exco who were able to get Fong and MCA leaders to comply with unreasonable demands like the ban on pig rearing activities in the state outside Paya Mengkuang and the cap on the pig population to 48,000 heads by Sept. 21.

Why did Fong and the MCA leaders submit so easily to the demands of the Malacca state government, when they should have stood their ground to condemn the unwarranted show of force to conduct an illegal operation to cull pigs in Paya Mengkuang?

In his statement yesterday, Ali Rustam said the operation to cull the pigs in Paya Mengkuang, Man Lok and Bukit Beruang on Tuesday was halted on the appeal of the MCA President and Housing and Local Government Minister, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting as made through Najib.

Ali Rustam said Ong asked for time to reduce the pig population in the state to 48,000 heads and this was why he had given the new Sept. 21 deadline.

MCA leaders must explain why without authority, mandate and consultation with the pig farmers in the state, they had agreed to the ban on all pig-rearing activities in Malacca state outside Paya Mengkuang and the cap on pig population to 48,000 heads by Sept. 21.

As the Cabinet has decided that pig farmers are eligible for Bank Negara “Fund for Food” Aid to install proper waste system, this decision should not be made meaningless by the Malacca State government insisting on a ban on pig farming in Malacca outside Paya Mengkuang and to cap the pig population to 48,000 heads.

All pig farmers in Malacca should be given time to avail themselves of the Bank Negara “Fund for Food” aid to install proper waste system to meet all environmental requirements for the pig-rearing industry.

48 Replies to “Pig-rearing crisis in Malacca – utterly meaningless advice by Fong Chan Onn”

  2. Even if they agree to let the pig farmers stay, the funding is worthless if the government is inconsistent in applying standards to pig farmers. Pig farming like most husbandry business is actually highly competitive which is why pig farmers tend to pollute. It does not make sense for a pig farmer to upgrade his system if many of his neighbours does not.

    BN government fails non-bumi miserably when we need them to be consistent. They are hopeless and its either fight or flight. There is no sense making compromise.

  5. Even if people knew that this pig-culling-stop-culling wayang was acted out between UMNO and MCA, people are expected to say to MCA: thank you, thank you for so kindly and courageously looking after the interests of pig farmers. Kow tow – tock, tock, tock.

  7. “Why did Fong and the MCA leaders submit so easily to the demands of the Malacca state government, when they should have stood their ground to condemn the unwarranted show of force to conduct an illegal operation to cull pigs in Paya Mengkuang?”

    [deleted]

  8. aiyah Fong Chan Onn is only tryign to SHOW mca is very concerned about the pig rearers onli lar.. behind they will do as what their big bro ask them to lar..

    sandiwara onli.. just a political manoeuvre.. takan lar diam diam.. talk onli.. all is air.. no action

    like this also canot see meh..

  10. The relocation and reduction in the numbers to 48,000 in Malacca have run into some snags. Apparently some states do not want them; in particular Negeri Sembilan. The electronic media reported the MB there as seizing 5 trailer loads of the animals and all major highway accesses to NS are road blocked.
    MCA agreement is to meet the target by Sept 21. Operation to bring out the pigs will be monitored and supervised so that there will be no dispute on the actual number of pigs culled. The other alternative is to cull the excess and deep frozen the meat. But are there enough cold storage facilities?
    More details at:
    http://powerpresent.blogspot.com/2007/09/more-pics-snags-malacca-pigs-relocation.html

  11. Uncle Kit, not fair to delete my comment. How else could anyone explain why Fong and the MCA leaders submit so easily to the demands of the Malacca state government without authority, mandate and consultation with the pig farmers?

  13. As a Malaysian Chinese we have compromise with the NEP, it looks like it is never good enough and now we have to compromise with what we do to earn a decent living? And if the Malacca state government get their unresonable demands this time, can MCA or DAP promise we will never have to compromise what we eat next? Isn’t this episode has drawn an invisible territorial lines between the mulsims and non-mulsims although we still lives in one country?

  16. “Malaysia — to whom does it belong? To Malaysians. But who are Malaysians? I hope I am, Mr Speaker, Sir. But sometimes, sitting in this chamber, I doubt whether I am allowed to be a Malaysian.” Lee Kuan Yew

    Does it matter whether one is Chinese Malaysian or Malaysian Chinese when we all just want to be Malaysian?

  17. Why put all the blame to MCA?? This has got nothing to do with MCA.

    We need to look at the bigger picture. And the bigger picture is the environment. We need to have better controls to better manage waste or else, we are looking at health issues.

  18. Niah ma! what is MCA doing? MCA members are the most useless chinese in the world! Puih! Only an idiot will vote for them in next GE! I will never ever vote for MCA and I’ll make sure all my family and relatives will vote for any opposition DAP, KEADILAN, PAS or even Independance candidate but not MCA and Gerakan! It’s really hurt when we read we Chinese been bully by others races and its even hurt me more when our own chinese from MCA and Gerakan betray us! Ong Ka Ting and Koh Tsu Khoon, if you or your relative read this, tell me how do you feel? what have you done for Chinese in Malaysia that you can feel proud of? I still remember, chinese temple in Bukit Mertajam been demolish with the instruction from some races whose position in the state are even lower than you two, what a shame! If you two really fight for our Chinese right in Malaysia, I challenge you to pull out from BN and joint DAP and Keadilan! Enough is enough, don’t be a slave for your rest of your life and betray your own race!

  19. Ask yourself this question, “Who is the government of Malaysia?” Elected representatives of Malaysians ? BN ? UMNO ? I am as confused as you are.

    The government of the day cannot differentiate between government and their political party. Should it be political parties ? No, I did not spelled it incorrectly. UMNO is BN and BN is UMNO. UMNO (the political party) is the government and the government is UMNO. UMNO is Malaysia, Malaysia is UMNO and Malaysia belongs to UMNO – that is what UMNO thinks, acts and behaves. When MCA speaks, it is UMNO speaking. What has MCA got to say about the “Pigs Affair” ? Nothing. Don’t expect them to do anything either.

    MALAYSIA BELONGS TO MALAYSIANS!!! Malaysia does not belong to any political party. Malaysia does not belong to the government !!! MALAYSIA BELONGS TO MALAYSIANS. Malaysians elected the representatives to govern our beloved country Malaysia. All these means PEOPLE POWER (Malaysians power if I may call it), Malaysians VOTING POWER. IT IS TIME TO USE THE “MALAYSIANS POWER” TO VOTE THE ARROGANT AND MAHARAJALELA REPS OUT.
    REMEMBER TO USE YOUR VOTING POWER FELLOW MALAYSIANS.

    KESETIAAN KEPADA RAJA DAN NEGARA !!!

    DAULAT TUANKU, DAULAT TUANKU, DAULAT TUANKU
    LONG LIVE MALAYSIA
    LONG LIVE MALAYSIANS

  21. “…..had agreed in negotiations at the Masjid Tanah Umno headquarters on Tuesday (4th September) complied with two demands:”

    By agreeing to negotiate in the Masjid Tanah UMNO HQ this bunch of MCA eunuchs has already signaled thier capitulation to their UMNO master’s demand by agreeing to negotiate in their opponents home ground. Did these idiots not realised that in negotiation tactics, one upmanship is crucial to the negotiations? The Chinese had 5000 years of history in the art of one upmanship and these bunch of eunuchs sold us down at one discussion. No wonder UMNO push them around so much.

  22. We don’t hear this problem in Kelantan, why? Because in Kelantan they have a very humble Menteri Besar Tok Guru Nik Aziz. And tok guru also assure the pig farmers in Kelantan that their pig farm will never be close down. Now we can compare Nik Aziz and Ali Rastam, you can see the big differences between this two and also between PAS Islamic state and UMNO Islamic state. So to all pig farmers in Malacca, vote wisely in next GE, all Chinese in Malaysia are behind you. WA MEN TSE YI CHIA REN. LANG SI KAR KI LANG

  23. Just come back from Paya Mengkuang.The pig farmers there are now having difficulties selling their pigs.Apparently,the JPH got new directives to stop issuing permits to the farmers to sell the pigs.
    The pig farmers now have to face a new problem with the carpet-beggars.Sensing easy picking,these carpet-beggars are offering very low price to the farmers for their pigs!
    Fong CO is either a moron or a politic snake to be able to come out with the statement.Most pig farmers in Malacca have spent tens of thousand ringgit on waste treatment systems.The real problem is not pollution but intolerance to pig farming due to bigoted views from perspective of race and religion.

  24. If the PAS Islamic state like Kelantan are more tolerant on pig husbandry than Melaka which is BN I would rather Melaka be under them than all these arrogant fellas who are in power at the moment. If I am to choose between PAS or BN this time I will defiinately choose PAS or any opposition for that matter. The arrogance and abuse of power of the incumbent is in fact too great to tolerate.

  26. The present deal strike by the MCA on behalf of the pig farmers are just stupid and does nothing to address the problem but simply prolong it. The pig farmers are going to end up dead poor or bankrupt after Sept 21 if things are allowed to progress as it is. Even if they can get rid of so many pigs in such a short while without being thoroughly exploited, they will still have to content with the fact that they can no longer return to their previous vocation of pig rearing with such a drastic curtailing of the quota in Melaka. This is just one typical sample of MCA style negotiation which inevitably batter away ones rights for absolutely no gain. This is the reason why the Chinese are now second class if not third class citizen in their own country and still very much considered ‘bangsar asing’ by the UMNO racist supremacist. If the Chinese still persist in voting for MCA in the coming election, they have only themselves to blame when they eventually become pariah class citizen in their own country.

  27. What negotiation!! It was never meant to be.Fong and company are simply following the wishes of their masters in Malacca.Cinapek is spot-on by stating that these b——s have capitulated right from the start by agreeing to meet at Masjid Tanah UMNO HQ.They are the eunuchs of their UMNO masters and even if they want to put on a show to tell the farmers that they are fighting for their interests, they have screwed it up Big TIME by doing this.
    So what is left to do.Screw them up BIG TIME at the coming GE.In fact all the eunuchs of UMNO……Gerakan,MIC and PPP as well.Better still liquidate them by not voting them at all from this election onwards.It’s about time(isn’t 50 years enough) we learn and stop thinking or hoping these eunuchs will fight for anyone’s interest except their own.

  28. It is time for DAP to start a “Anti Along campaign” by asking DAP supporters and public to collect as many Name card; fliers;stickers of Along; each item is 1 sen. Ong Ka Ting as a Local and Housing Minister is useless ;unable to curb the illigal activities of Along.All the telephone no. contact were written there; why Ong Ka Ting is unable to charge them in court!

    He cannot fight with Along; how we Chinese community expect him to defend our right.

    The distribution of the Along cards is so rampantly; even the resident area; school and bus stand in front of police station and many many places can be found.

  29. Leave the Along alone but please advice your family members and friends don’t ever borrow from them. If any of you, your family members and friends’ business is in trouble, please advice them to cut loss and get out of it asap, there’s a dark cloud hovering above us.

  30. Everyone forgets….this whole “crisis” was started not by thye pig farmers or Ali Rustam but by dangerous reporting by TV3 who were the batu api’s …….and appear to have got off scot free to start trouble elsewhere…….whoever pointed fingers at blog sites for the troubles of this nation should have a second look at this desperate TV station trying to stay alive….at whatever cost…..

  31. Spot on Raven 77!That Tiu Nay Singh manipulated the water sample,interviews with the college islam students and the village folks.
    Just received news from the pig farmers that since they cannot sell or relocate their pigs,they might as well deliver the pigs to Ali Gostam office.

  32. I do not eat meat much. Neither I eat pork much.

    A livelihood is a livelihood. I believe by such action, two things happen. First – pig-rearers be taken advantage of and most may have to close business and lose whatever business they have built out of it. They too will be taken advantage of in selling for cheap. Second – price of pork will go up ‘artificially’.

    Let the Chinese community anger goes up. A support for PAS is definitely much better than for BN – which day by day becomes more intolerant and backward!

    I met with some foreigners and Singaporeans. None have good stuff to say about our current state of government. Advice from their business community is – stay out of investing in Malaysia – the government always change the tune and policies. Some investors lost lots of money whenever the tune changes.

    No wonder opportunities are getting lesser in Malaysia. No wonder everything seems to be drying up. Even we ourselves don’t have confident in our local economy and businessmen are clamouring for a piece of the action in China, Vietnam.

  33. “The pig farmers now have to face a new problem with the carpet-beggars.Sensing easy picking,these carpet-beggars are offering very low price to the farmers for their pigs!”

    Who are these “carpet beggars”. Looks like they are worse than the pigs! Sorry, pigs.

  34. “Fong … to get approval to extend Bank Negara’s Fund for Food aid to pig farmers in Malacca…? Wasn’t this a totally empty and meaningless gesture?” Kit

    It makes sense because now they could claim that they got the government to help these pig farmers who have fallen on bad times – not the DAP leaders who could do nothing but pull their hair, stomp and scream!

  35. Show of force to intimidate and threaten defendless people and put their lives at great risk, including women and children, is most irresponsible.

    If the MB had any pride and dignity left, he should apolozise to the people and resign immediately.

    If this is an example of religious tolerance in the country, the government had betrayed the Non Malays.

  36. With decades of weak leadership and governance of the country, religious extremists and fundamentalists are taking full advatange of the situation to carry out their damaging, narrow and short sighted agenda.

    Increasing political awareness of Non Malays and progressive and moderate Muslims is important to ensure the safety and prosperity of a modern, open minded and progressive multi religious country in a globalised and competitive world.

  39. “Just because pork and pig are not allowed in the Islamic religion, it does not mean that it has to be erased from the earth.”

    That’s why Malaysia is a circular. It goes in circles. They cannot seem to decide whether to ban it altogether. How could anyone then say it is an Islamic state?

  41. Now UMNOPOLOGIST becomes MCA machai, apologizing for the running dogs, environment my foot, chopped down more trees, wanton waste of natural resources under Barisan Najis and they talk about environment, wanna talk environment? tell Indonesians to stop burning forest pendatang apaologist who pretends to be lord.

  42. Haiya..tai loo..pig’s dumping = polution meh? meaning that all the rivers in Malaysia polluted by Pig’s waste meh? Sure or not?No chemical dumping or other things ah?please la.. find a way to clean up /stop other more dangerous and hazardous dumping into rivers and sea la kawan! Check out P.Dickson enough ready la.Go Saman all the factories la.Don’t la mau “cull” tiba2..we know la its not your FATHERS $ that goes to waste! This is poor people’s income and assets wo..+ rice bowl. Consider a bit la..

  43. The day Abdullah declared Malaysia as an Islamic state, he made the greatest boo-boo of all. He thinks that by declaring Malaysia as an Islamic state, he will win the votes of all Malays in the nation? It is stupid of him to do so. By doing so, he is trying to tell the world that there are two systems of Islam – UMNO Islam and PAS Islam.

    If at all they preach the same religion, then UMNO should openly invite PAS in as a partner in ruling the nation using Islamic principles.

    The next question is, if Malaysia is at all Islamic, then what are the non-Islamic political parties, such as MCA, Gerakan, MIC, PPP, etc doing in BN? Do they know the least bit about how to run an Islamic country? Do they know Islamic law? Are they halal? Have they been circumcised? Do they not consume pork? If at all Malaysia is an Islamic state, they should immediately leave BN as the government is not a place for them due to their ignorance of Islam. This is one of the biggest jokes of all times, an Islamic nation run by non-Muslim!!!

  47. If the pig farm is at the back of your house – I would say you would put things differently. This is a non-political issue. The pigs were reared illegally – no license, on state land , left to expand by state Goverment in the name of racial harmony but it was the environmental issue that had actually caught on the pig farmers with the help of the media. What loan to install proper waste system. Didn’t you see the news where the barricaders or the pig farmers are so fat as fat as their lot and these lots were not even for Malaysians but for Singaporeans. Doesn’t anybody remember the JE and the nipah issue any longer. It was definitely a warning but to no avail.

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