Shah Alam, Dec 31:
Dog owners here can heave a sigh of relief, albeit
temporarily, after the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA)
announced that enforcement action on those who fail to
comply with its new ruling will only be taken after its
committee meeting on Jan 9.
MBSA deputy mayor Za’ba Che Rus said the council is still
willing to review the new rules governing dog-ownership.
“A special committee will meet next month to discuss the
matter further. There is no need for dog owners to press the
panic button just yet,” he said.
The committee is made up of council members, Veterinary
Department officers, the police as well as representatives
of the Malaysian Association for Responsible Pet Ownership (MARPO).
Za’ba refuted dog owners’ claims that more than 1,000
canines will be affected by the new ruling.
“Our database shows that there are only 570 licensed dogs in
Shah Alam,” he said.
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“If these owners are as responsible as they claim, why didn’t
the 500 other owners obtain licenses for their dogs?”
He said the new ruling reflects MBSA’s policy that “prevention
is better than cure”.
“The local council is always the first to be blamed whenever
there are cases of dogs attacking humans. Although dog owners
claim that these are isolated cases, do we need another tragedy
to happen before we act?” he said.
He said the new ruling does not fall under a by-law, but a
by-management law.
“The council is given authority to assess and update the ruling
according to need. We are also awaiting the new guidelines being
drafted by the Housing and Local Government Ministry,” he said
after receiving a memorandum of protest from MARPO members at
the MBSA headquarters yesterday.
Around 80 MARPO members had staged a demonstration outside the
headquarters to protest against the new ruling. |
MARPO’s legal adviser N. Surendran, said the association is
prepared to take legal action against MBSA if the council
persists in implementing the new ruling.
“The deputy mayor has admitted that the ruling does not fall
under a by-law, thus we view its implementation as unlawful. If
the council insists on enforcing their rules, we will take them
to court,” he said.
He said MBSA’s regulations reflect a lack of understanding of
dogs and their usefulness in the community and people’s lives.
“The authorities should instead focus on helping to educate the
public to overcome their fears and prejudices against the
animals,” he said.
He said some of the laws discriminate against certain groups of
people, citing the rule which permitted only the disabled to
keep Rottweilers as an example.
“If these dogs are truly ferocious as classified by the council,
isn’t it more dangerous for them to be around the disabled
instead of the able-bodied?” he asked. |
