CoFfEE witH PUNithAN

Kedah DAP has pulled out from the state Pakatan Rakyat coalition, saying the PAS-led government was not giving equal treatment to all Kedahans.

State DAP chairman Thomas Su said the most recent issue involved the demolition of an illegal pig slaughterhouse at Kampung Berjaya in Jalan Putra here.

He said the state government failed to handle the issue properly.

“Although the slaughterhouse was operating on land belonging to the Alor Setar City Council, the state government had the power to postpone demolition work.

“This would have given more time for the Kedah Pigs Trader and Slaughterer Association to find a new site,” he said at a press conference after witnessing the demolition work on the illegal slaughterhouse here Wednesday.

Mayor Datuk Khazali Din was quoted as saying recently that the slaughterhouse was built illegally on the site 30 years ago, and the council had ordered the association to vacate the premises several times since 1995, with the latest such directive issued in May.

However, the association had asked for a postponement until the end of June this year, to give it time to find a new place, Su said, claiming that Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak had supported its application.

Su said that the one-month grace period was not enough for the association to find a new location for the slaughterhouse.

“Another issue that we feel the state failed to handle amicably was the 50% housing quota for bumiputras in the state,” he said.

Su said that he would inform the national DAP headquarters on the state’s decision.

Azizan said the decision on the new location for the slaughterhouse should be made by the association that runs the premise.

“I was told that the association has submitted an application to the Pendang district office for a piece of land in Kampung Cina on June 26 and the district office technical team is studying the application,” he told newsmen after chairing the state executive council meeting on Wednesday.

Azizan said that decision to postpone the demolition of the slaughterhouse must be made by the council and the state government could not interfere with it.

The Pakatan council will be holding an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the pullout.

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