KUALA LUMPUR: The government is ready to consider a proposal to provide a special fund in the federal budget and grant tax exemption incentives to empower the management of stray animal welfare and lighten the burden on pet owners.
Political secretary at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Datuk Azman Abidin said that the lack of a special budget has forced most NGOs and animal shelters to operate voluntarily, using their own funds to manage and rescue stray animals.
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"This matter is not just helping the government, as we know that they will make these pets a part of their family, providing them with enough food and so on.
"When there is special funding, we can get them to follow existing standard operating procedures to obtain the funds so that they learn how to manage these animals," he told reporters after a dialogue session with agencies, NGOs and pet industry stakeholders here on Monday (July 20).
Azman said the industry is growing rapidly, opening economic opportunities in supporting sectors such as food and veterinary services and also reflecting changes in societal lifestyles.
This rapid development demands a more ethical and disciplined ownership responsibility to maintain public health, community safety and neighbourhood harmony, he noted.
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"Issues involving pets cannot be resolved alone. It requires the involvement of all parties, including government agencies, local authorities, NGOs, veterinarians, industry players, academia, and the community," he said.
Azman also assured that all the proposals and legal improvements resulting from the dialogue session will be compiled into an official proposal paper before being submitted to the government for further action.
Also present at the session were Malaysian Animal Association deputy director-general Dr Aida Muhid, its president Dr Arie Dwi Andika, and the Kuala Lumpur City Hall Health and Environment Department director Dr Nor Halizam binti Ismail.
Attending NGO representative Jurieena Abdul Rani said that financial support from the government is crucial in enabling orgnisations to help local authorities control the stray animal population.
"This platform is good because we have discussions... (to listen to) the complaints of others so that the higher-ups know what we have been facing all this time to help these animals," she added. – Bernama
