The Selangor state government has defended its decision to continue with a RM100 million modern pig farming project in the state after it came under fire for being insensitive to Muslims.

Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim’s office in a four-page statement this afternoon said the project was approved by the previous Barisan Nasional-led state government on January 30 this year.

"At the (new) state government meeting on April 2, we found it appropriate to continue with the project but with its implementation process to be strengthened," said the statement.

moden pig farming 080408 The new Pakatan Rakyat state government said its decision was in view of the fact that the site at Kuala Langat, near Sepang had been Selangor’s main pig-rearing area and had fulfilled the environmental standards set by the authorities.

This includes that discharges from the farm will be recycled in the form of bio-gas to generate electricity and water for farm cleaning, as well as for the cultivation of food for the pigs.

"At the same time, with this project, no new pig-rearing farms will be approved in Selangor as all other pig-rearing farms outside of this area will be moved into this modern pig farming project.

"This is in line with the Agriculture and Agro-based Ministry’s policy to have all pig farms in one area to ensure easier monitoring by the authorities," the statement added.

Declassified land probe

The new state government’s decision to continue the project has been played up in the Umno-run Malay dailies with prominent coverage given to protests by locals and NGOs towards the project.

Some have criticised the state government’s decision as a means to gain popularity while showing disregard for cultural and religious sensitivities.

logging logger timber wood kayu balak forest hutan The Selangor MB’s office, however, said it was the state government’s aim to ensure the project was successful and it would be implemented fairly and taking into account the sensitivities of the various races.

On the issue of forest reserves, the MB office said records showed that a total of 4,325-hectares of forest reserve land had been declassified between 2000 to 2007 while a total of 241,568-hectares out of 796,084 hectares have been gazetted as forest reserve land.

"The state government has instructed the Selangor Land and District Office to furnish a list of those who obtained the declassified forest reserve land and an in-depth investigation will be conducted to ensure this irresponsible action (of declassifying) will be addressed," the MB’s office said.

Poor land records

On the issue of land titles for Chinese New Villages, the statement said the villages which had yet to get their titles were only those located at beach and seaside areas for which state policy prohibited the issuance of land titles. A total of 16,637 land titles have been issued to New Village residents in Selangor so far, added the statement.

On the problem of factories operating without licences in New Villages, the MB’s office said they would have to move out as land titles would only be given for residential purposes and not industrial or business premises.

On the overlapping of land title deed as reported in Selangor, the statement said the problem was caused by poor land deal records and a majority of these cases were in Petaling Jaya and Gombak.

A total of 21 such cases - involving about seven acres of land - were currently under a police probe, said the statement.