SHAH ALAM, Aug 1 (Bernama) -- The Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin, today expressed sadness, disappointment and anger over a recent spate of cruelty involving pets and stray animals, particularly dogs and cats, that has sparked widespread outrage on social media.
Istana Alam Shah said Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin also urged the federal government to review the penalties under the Animal Welfare Act 2015 to ensure stricter punishment for animal cruelty offenders and more consistent enforcement of the law.
Her Royal Highness, who is also the Royal Patron of the Stray Free Selangor (SFS) initiative, said any act of cruelty towards animals is not only against the law but also reflects a failure to uphold the values of compassion towards all living beings and humanity, which form the foundation of a civilised society.
“The Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor decrees that no form of cruelty towards animals will be accepted or tolerated, regardless of who the perpetrator is, what position they hold, their race or religion, or the reason for such acts.
“Her Royal Highness also stresses that this position applies to everyone, whether individuals, organisations, companies, government agencies or enforcement authorities. No one is above the law,” Istana Alam Shah said in a statement.
In addition, Her Royal Highness said any individual found to have committed acts of cruelty against animals must be thoroughly investigated and face appropriate legal action, including if the offence is committed by enforcement personnel or government officers themselves.
The palace said the Tengku Permaisuri also stressed that public confidence in enforcement institutions can only be maintained if every action is carried out professionally, with integrity and compassion, rather than through unnecessary force or actions that inflict suffering on animals.
In this regard, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin reiterated several proposals and recommendations she had previously put forward to strengthen efforts to protect animal welfare through close cooperation among the government, local authorities (PBT), relevant agencies, animal welfare organisations and the public.
Among the proposals were to foster a community that is truly compassionate towards all animals; translate compassion into action through the humane rescue, treatment, management and protection of animals; and make animal welfare an integral part of efforts to build a more responsible, caring and civilised society.
Her Royal Highness also underscored the importance of ensuring that compassion forms the foundation of every policy and action relating to animal management, while fostering greater public awareness that every act of kindness towards animals matters and that every life deserves to be valued.
Other recommendations include instilling compassion towards animals from a young age through education, public awareness and community involvement; embracing ‘Compassion. Care. Community.’ as a shared value in building a more caring and humane society; and creating a state where every animal is protected, respected and treated with dignity.
“Her Royal Highness believes that the way we treat animals reflects who we are as human beings. A society that fails to show compassion towards the most vulnerable creatures will eventually lose its compassion for fellow human beings.
The Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor also expressed hope that all parties would learn from the recent incidents and work together to ensure Selangor remains a state that upholds the values of humanity, justice and responsibility towards all of Allah's creations.
“Her Royal Highness reminds us that compassion is not a sign of weakness. On the contrary, the ability to protect the most vulnerable is the true measure of a society's strength, maturity and civilisation,” the palace added.
-- BERNAMA