KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: Since the Pakatan Rakyat Selangor government announced the approval to set up a RM100 million modern pig farm in Tumbuk, the two main Malay newspapers Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian have been playing the issue up by giving extensive coverage of objections by Malays to the move.
Utusan Malaysia gave it headline treatment “The Public, NGOs Oppose The Plan Of The Selangor Government – Pig Farm Plan Continue Its Implementation”.
Its cover photo showed residents of Sepang Kampung Tunbuk pointing to sewage drains with one hand, while another hand clutching their noses as if offended by the smell of some pig waste.
Beside that, Utusan Malaysia used Page 4 and Page 5 to report the issue collectively. Page 4 focuses on the view of the local residents, with the title “Residents: Selangor Government Is Greedy”.
Page 5 quoted the conversation of the former Selangor MB Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo. This UMNO leader denied his approval of up to RM100 million for the pig farm project. The incumbent Selangor MB Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said Tuesday (8 Apr) that the former BN state government and exco meeting led by Khir Toyo, approved the proposal in 30 Jan 2008.
Khir Toyo has since backtracked on his denial by saying that the approval was given in principle and for a much smaller project.
On the same page, an analysis reported that the Sepang pig industry would damage the local environment and ecology. It would also affect the tourism industry and the daily lives of Muslims.
These two pages published five photos and showed the pollution of the pig farming industry on the surrounding environment.
(Translated by LEE MEI NYEE/ Sin Chew Daily)
10/04/08
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