An opposition bencher today suggested in jest that Selangor launch a new dish called dog-kut-teh to help control the burgeoning population of stray dogs in the state.

Sungai Pelek assemblyperson Yap Ee Wah ( above ) said the Sepang municipal council recently engaged two contractors to catch stray dogs in the municipality, with surprising results.

dog mongrel stray dog "In one month, the contractors managed to catch 20,000 dogs. That means they caught on average 667 dogs a day. There are too many dogs in Selangor, so we should start having dog-kut-teh," he said satirically when debating the state government’s 2011 budget.

Yap pointed out that the Sepang council’s decision to hire the contractors, who he said were paid RM70,000 for their services, was an abuse of public funds.

Earlier, he declined to identify which municipal council had engaged the private dog-catchers, but eventually relented after he was told by speaker Teng Chang Khim that it is incumbent on an elected representative to provide the facts and evidence in the House when raising an allegation.

When met by Malaysiakini  outside the state assembly, Yap said the figures of dogs caught by the contractors in Bandar baru Salak Tinggi are unbelievable.

"The numbers are unrealistic. If you say you caught 20,000 dogs in the area, that means the dog population is higher than people," he said.

Yap also hit out at the state’s projected increase in revenue from entertainment tax, saying it puts Selangor in a moral quandary as it would encourage vice activities.

“Are we headed towards a state where our entertainment will include prostitutes? I’m sorry, but I cannot agree to that,” he said.

In the state budget, tabled by Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim on Monday, the state government projects revenue of RM30 million this year and likewise in 2011 through entertainment revenue tax, a 23 percent increase compared to their 2009 earnings of RM21.5 million.