“GET UP, stand up for your rights,” sang reggae legend Bob Marley. That song, Get Up, Stand Up, has sound-tracked many a protest but it is unlikely that the late leader of The Wailers envisioned it extending to canines.
Unwilling to let sleeping dogs lie, an animal rights NGO is demanding that the Selangor state government identify and publicly disclose specific laws that prohibit pets from being brought into shopping malls.
The demand was made after Selangor Local Government and Tourism EXCO member Datuk Ng Suee Lim stated that the ban on bringing pets to shopping malls in the state still remains.
In a statement, Lawyers for Animal Rights spokesman Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh reminded Ng that in a constitutional democracy, restrictions on lawful practices cannot be imposed through mere announcements.
Editor’s Note: Editor’s Note: Sunway Square Mall which has been in the limelight for its pet-friendly policy has revised its leniency with immediate effect by banning pets from enclosed indoor areas in line with a Selangor state directive.
This follows a reaffirmation by Ng that pets remain prohibited in shopping malls inside the state.
Fighting talk indeed but news of this legal intervention on behalf of man’s best friend was not met with universal acclaim if feedback on the KiniTV BM’s Facebook page is any indication.
In fact, some commenters of the post which has garnered 3.4K likes, 3.8K comments and 310 shares at the time of writing were downright contemptuous.
One commenter kindly requested the pets-friendly NGO’s chairman to clean the mess left behind these visiting pets at malls. “Don’t ask the cleaners to do it,” challenged this non-plussed citizen who urged other shoppers to boycott these pet-friendly malls.
Some did not mince their words when they insinuated that those who cannot abide by the rules are no better than animals.
This sentiment was echoed in another comment dripping with racist innuendo. Unsurprisingly, this invited more rightists to crawl out of the woodwork with one even dare suggest that these “beasts be shot as they are over-breeding”.
The ridiculousness of the situation was highlighted by the number of comments that warned of Selangor pet-friendly malls soon be filled with visiting ducks, goats, buffalo and even lions!
Amid all the incessant trolling, some commenters still tried to take a pragmatic view. Among the chief concerns were cleanliness and hygiene, not to mention potential damage to wares and premises.
Another commenter also highlighted the concerns of having pets near F&B outlets, arguing that this contravenes basic food safety standards.
The PR department of Sunway Square Mall (and of other pet-friendly malls) must be regretting their decision to go ahead with this publicity stunt.
What may have started as a move to attract family outings with their pets has spiralled out of control where questions on rights (both human and beast) abound.
Worse yet, it has also driven further schisms into a deeply divided society where accusations of religious insensitivity and trampling of minority rights are being traded.
While these pet-friendly malls may be popping up in frequently in headlines and newsfeeds, this is certainly publicity that these establishments would have preferred to avoid. – Focus Malaysia
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