In other words, those pig farms outside Paya Mengkuang will be destroyed if they are not closed down by October 4. Further, pig farms in Paya Mengkuang will also be culled to ensure that the number of pigs remaining is only 48,000 as there are more than 48,000 pigs in Paya Mengkuang alone. 

Where is Deputy Prime Minister’s promise that the pig farmers can continue to rear pigs as long as they comply with clean environmental standards? Instead of a win-win solution for both the state government and pig farmers, pig farmers have lost everything to MCA and UMNO. 

DAP is shocked when Masjid Tanah MP Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop said that this new flexibility of time to October 4 and arrangement of allowing only 48,000 pigs in Paya Mengkuang followed MCA’s firm commitment to his demands. If helping UMNO to close down pig farms that are clean is how MCA helps the Chinese community, then Malaysians should wake up and fight for their rights on their own. 

Only 23,824 pigs out of the 97,241 pigs have been taken out so far. To expect the pig farmers to take out 73,000 pigs in two weeks or 5,200 pigs per day is impossible. Abu Seman had even said that the abbatoir was willing to operate 24 hours a day to process the 5,200 pigs per day. Clearly Abu Seman has failed to check his facts and showed his real intent to wipe out the pigs is politically motivated when the abbatoir can only slaughter 600 pigs per day.  

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Abu Seman insistes that such culling of pigs is due to environmental pollution of the rivers from the pig farms and not due to religious sensitivities. If the government takes action against pig farms that continues to pollute despite given time to clean up, no one would object. But why take action against pig farms that are clean and comply with environmental standards. By taking action against clean farms, the government is trying to score political points in the next general elections at the expense of the Chinese community. 

For too long, the people have been cheated by promises of action from both BN and MCA. Many of the 25 pig farms that are to be closed down on 4 October have spent RM 100,000 each a few months ago at the government’s request to improve sanitary standards as required by the State government. Why ask the pig farmers to spend so much money on environment when the BN government is going to close them down? 

The BN government under UMNO has clearly shown that it neither values nor respects the Chinese community by treating the Paya Mengkuang residents like terrorists and criminals when it sent 2,000 government personnel, including FRU officers, water cannons and helicopters on 4 September 2007 to try to close down pig farms. The people of Paya Mengkuang have seen that MCA only has the courage to fight for UMNO’s interests and not the interests of the people.