It’s a dog’s life for cats too
FMT LETTER
From Shenaaz Khan, via e-mail
Left alone; terrified, tortured and trapped, the missing Petknode victims have already been condemned to gruesome deaths! Any hope of finding the 100 or so missing cats is all but lost. And we have our magnificent enforcement agencies to thank for this.
Their hideous disinterest in saving innocent lives and a complete fascination with impeding tireless efforts are reflective of an establishment that has lost every sense of humanity. The lying lazy louts responsible for fighting crime in this country have displayed very little polish in policing.
Equipped with an army of excuses, they’ve taken the position of indifference and are refusing to budge! The catalogue of Petknodes crimes includes theft, fraud, cruelty and murder. Charging and convicting them would be without effort.
But it appears that the heartless, wicked act of leaving animals to die of starvation and dehydration, in a pool of their own faeces and urine is mere kitchen matter and unworthy of further constabulary action.
The cat carnage at Petknode may shock many but various means of animal cruelty take place in Malaysia every blinking day. From brutal dog catching to deplorable farming conditions, animals are treated like, well, animals.
Pathetic punitive measures taken against abusers have facilitated the mass murders of innocent animals in this country for the last 54 years. Vicious kitten killers, barbaric dog catchers and inhumane zoo operators roam our streets free of consequences.
The Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) and the Police of course can be credited for the continued and widespread abuse of animals in this country. For years, NGOs and activists alike have lobbied for tougher laws and greater enforcement but the struggle against animal abuse has borne very little fruit.
And while activists have been made to look like a bunch of chickens cackling in a barn, the DVS, Ministry of Agriculture and the government have barely pawed at the plight of animals. A new promise of prosecutorial persecution is being made in the form of a spanking new legislation.
Prefabricated statements and stale metaphors are being disseminated to appear effective. But real enforcement is habitually being dodged and has proven to be a complete and utter failure. Cases of cruelty have repeatedly gone unpunished and unchecked.
The Raya massacre of hundreds of cats by Petknode is inevitably the result of the government’s apathy towards animal welfare as a whole. It has become a sickening institutional pattern. Animal rights go beyond coughing up laws or spewing sacred scriptures. It is about overhauling this entire wretched system of governance.
Our very own cat owning prime minister (we know this because a point was made to front page his epic adoption of a kitten awhile back), has made no comment or condemnation on an issue of public interest.
In fact, he has remained stoically silent on all cases of animal abuse. Hence it is no surprise that cruelty towards living beings has become an acceptable part of our decaying society. It is equally frightening and regrettable that many owners, whose cats were lucky enough to be saved, have no interest in pursuing action against Petknode.
Their selfishness compels one to conclude their acceptance of the cold-blooded murder of the 17 dead cats. In a country where one’s religion is iron-stamped upon one at the window of the womb, it is shameful that basic human kindness has chronically been banished. The battle to save those poor cats may be lost.
To my fellow Malaysians, may you sleep with the knowledge that innocent animals are dead because we have shirked our human responsibilities. And to the powers that be, wake up and smell the dead cats!
The writer is president of the Malaysian Animal Welfare Society
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