GEORGE TOWN, Sept 22 – Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng who is already under pressure from various animal welfare groups for approving the culling of stray dogs in the state in bid to stamp out rabies hole a press conference today told the NGO to simply deliver the vaccines now as Penang now was lack of stock.
“If they say they have the vaccines, bring it here, show it to us, don’t just talk about it,” he said in a press conference at his office today which also responding to a statement by Worldwide Veterinary Services (WVS) that offered the vaccines and manpower to assist the state in mass inoculation of dogs in the state.
In the same time, Lim Guan Eng also told them to bring their experts on rabies and disease control to reveal their proposals to the authorities here with sending their experts to meet with the Veterinary Services Department and Health Ministry and talk to them, convince them first.
Lim insisted that the state’s decision to capture and kill all stray dogs to control the spread of rabies were based on recommendations from experts from the Veterinary Services Department and Health Ministry. He pointed out that he had willingly met with local animal groups such as 4Paws and Save Our Strays (SOS) on Sunday to listen to their concerns on the mass culling of stray dogs.
He said the NGOs, including WVS, must first convince the experts from the Veterinary Services Department and Health Ministry as they are the ones making recommendations to the state. Lim called again on all quarters to be rational and professional about this issue as it was a matter of public health and safety even though he lost the vote on next election.
“Penang is not the only state that started killing all stray dogs in the state as Perlis and Kedah had also started the same operation since rabies was detected in the states. I don’t understand why only Penang is questioned and attacked for taking this step when Perlis and Kedah are also doing this,” he stressed that this is not a political issue and that the state is working closely with federal agencies, the Veterinary Services Department and Health Ministry, to control the spread of rabies.
