SHAH ALAM, Jan 25 — The state government has stressed that the proposal to allow dogs into shopping centres in Selangor is still at an early discussion stage and should not be politicised in a way that creates misunderstandings among the public.
State executive councillor for local government and tourism Dato’ Ng Suee Lim said the proposal has not been approved and only involves preliminary planning to hold engagement sessions to assess its feasibility before any decision is made.
“It has not been approved. All matters must go through comprehensive discussions, including weighing the pros and cons with various stakeholders, before any guidelines are set,” he told Media Selangor.
Ng added that the issue is still under discussion but has been sensationalised as if a final decision has already been made, thereby causing confusion and dissatisfaction.
“As a responsible government, we take the approach of seeking views and listening to voices from all parties,” he said.
Ng emphasised that it is inappropriate to bring every issue into the political arena, as this could trigger division and hatred among communities.
“Matters like this can be discussed properly, civilly and constructively, not politicised,” he said.
Earlier, several posters and posts went viral on social media, urging the rejection of the proposal on the grounds that it touches on religious sensitivities, including claims that shopping centres are public spaces frequented by the majority Muslim community and that the issue involves matters of religious rulings and creed.
Through the same posters, the proposal was also criticised for citing ‘global trends’ as justification and was alleged to be disrespectful of the sensitivities of the people of Selangor, the majority of whom are Muslims.
