SIBU: The controversy surrounding pig farms in Tanjong Sepat, Selangor, has sparked renewed debate over political representation and accountability, with Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) raising concerns about the Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) response since assuming power.
Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Dudong Branch chairman, Wong Ching Yong, said the issue had been allowed to snowball over time, yet pig farmers had seen little effort from DAP, which is part of the Selangor state government, to speak up on their behalf.
“This has inevitably led the Chinese community to question what has become of the party that once championed justice,” he said.
Wong said that when DAP was still in opposition, its leaders had openly stood with pig farmers, even positioning themselves in front of bulldozers to block demolition works while criticising the government as heartless and indifferent to farmers’ livelihoods.
“Are they now becoming the very political leaders they once despised?” he asked in a statement issued during the “Kopitiam Talk” mobile service programme organised by SUPP Dudong and Sibu Jaya branches at a foodcourt in Sibu Jaya yesterday (Jan 18).
Wong, who is also SUPP Central assistant publicity and information secretary, recalled that in 2007, then DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng had opposed the Melaka state government’s move to shut down certain pig farms, stating that pig farming was neither illegal nor morally wrong, and questioning why the industry was being targeted.
He said Lim had also urged the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan) to ensure that no pig farms were forced to close. At the time, Lim’s father, Lim Kit Siang, who was then the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, had criticised MCA for failing to safeguard the rights of pig farmers.
“Shouldn’t Lim Guan Eng now pose the same questions to his comrades in Selangor? And shouldn’t Lim Kit Siang similarly reprimand DAP or even Pakatan Harapan for failing to defend pig farmers today?” Wong said.
He added that former Selangor executive councillor Ronnie Liu had also publicly criticised the Selangor government, accusing it of “cutting off farmers’ lifelines first before making empty promises”.
According to Wong, Liu had pointed out that when the issue escalated and drew attention from the Sultan and the media, the government’s initial response was not to improve regulations, offer transition periods or provide safeguards, but instead to revoke licences, halt operations and label farmers as operating illegally.
Wong also recalled that during the 2023 Selangor state election, DAP won all 15 seats it contested, reflecting the high expectations placed on the party by the Chinese community, with four of its representatives appointed as state executive councillors, accounting for 40 per cent of the state cabinet.
“On paper, the Chinese community should not be worried about representation in the corridors of power. Yet in this pig farm crisis, farmers have not seen DAP leaders step forward as their predecessors once did. Instead, it has been leaders from non-governing parties, such as MCA, who have spoken up for them,” he said.
According to media reports, pig farms in Tanjong Sepat were initially unable to renew their licences from Jan 1 this year and were later required to comply with zero-discharge, closed-system and buffer-zone conditions, with licences renewed every six months.
The Selangor government subsequently announced plans to relocate the farmers to Bukit Tagar under a centralised pig farming scheme.
Wong said these developments alone made it easy to understand the anxiety and confusion faced by the 111 affected pig farmers.
He noted that upgrading facilities or relocating farms would require substantial financial investment, and amid policy uncertainty, farmers would naturally be hesitant to act yet fearful of inaction.
“We support the need for pig farms to operate in an environmentally responsible manner, including taking into account the sensitivities of our Muslim compatriots. From media interviews, many pig farmers have expressed their willingness to upgrade facilities to reduce pollution.
“However, the Selangor government’s hasty, opaque and poorly communicated approach has only left them panicked,” added Wong, who is also Sibu Rural District Council (SRDC) deputy chairman.
