It is with some sadness I read of Teng Chang Yeow, the chairperson of Penang Gerakan, coming out strongly to protest the Penang’s government plan to capture and cull all stray dogs to prevent the spread of rabies.

I do not intend to wade into the argument currently brewing in Penang over whether the government should consider an alternative measure like vaccination to deal with the problem at hand as advocated by animal lovers.

I am rather terribly saddened by how this political party called Gerakan founded in 1968 by intellectuals like Professor Syed Husin Alatas together with Dr Tan Chee Khoon, Dr Lim Chong Eu and Professor Wang Gungwu, which then offered the public much hope in a messy political landscape through their unique intellectual branding is today so pathetically struggling to stay relevant.

Today Gerakan is sinking into oblivion after two consecutive crushing defeats in GE13 and 14. They have become obviously desperate to raise issues to hog the headlines and gain traction with the Penangites.

Hence one can sense that the Penang government’s decision to cull stray dogs was one opportunity for them to jump into to at least remind the Penangites that they after all remain some credible opposition voice.

These days the intelligent discourses proffered by the founding fathers of Gerakan are completely alien, unsurprisingly of course.

It is not that I don’t love animals. I certainly do. But I would expect the debate over the culling of dogs to be left to organisations like SPCA and PAWS, to name a few.

A political party with the stature of Gerakan, having helmed the Penang government for more than 30 years ought to be more ambitious and concerned with people issues rather than some petty doggy ones.

I will be the least surprised if Teng and comrades continue with their listlessness, whether their founding fathers can rest in peace.