Congratulations are in order for the mayor of Shah Alam for announcing last week that most of MBSA's new regulations on dog ruling which local dog owners had vehemently objected to as harsh and unreasonable will be modified or scrapped with immediate effect.
However, there is still one more issue that needs a serious rethink: the requirement of views of immediate neighbours on the right and left before a new pet owner is allowed to have a dog. The MBSA may have well-intentioned reasons for their decision in wanting to prevent an unpleasant situation before it happens.
However, the negatives for such a move far outweighs the positive. They are as extreme as banning all bikers in the city in order to prevent snatch thefts on motorcycles. Checking with neighbours first before deciding to grant a wannabe dog owner a licence not only goes against the grain of his basic right as a Malaysian citizen to be able to own a pet of his liking but it also grants his neighbours an unfair advantage and privilege over him in being able to dictate the kind of pets the owner should or should not possess.
This leaves potential new dog owners in Shah Alam feeling vulnerable and discriminated against when it comes to them wanting to have a dog. Such an exercise will only invite prejudiced remarks by neighbours who might have stereotyped thinking or personal phobias about dogs.
Besides, obtaining neighbours' views about dogs - especially about a dog they have never seen or an owner who has never had the chance to prove himself - will not be able to say anything about responsible pet ownership. Imagine forcing new cat owners to do this also!
Non-feline owners are likely to also say no to their neighbours because they wouldn't want cats jumping over walls and defecating in their garden or making love cries all night long. Thus the MBSA should totally scrap the 'neighbours views requirement' at once and concentrate more on the root causes of irresponsible pet ownership which can be best done through long-term education.
As a progressive and forward-thinking city that Shah Alam aspires to be, the council should be seen as trying to encourage more people to have pets for healthy living and a better life - not appear as if they are trying to deprive or curb its constituents from having a right to own dogs.