The Association of Paya Mengkuang Pig-Breeders have denied any involvement in the hanging of a wild boar's head from a banner in Alor Gajah, Melaka, last week.

Its chairperson Na Tian Lam, 55, said the hanging of the animal’s head near the roundabout of Tanjung Bidara-Kuala Sungai Baru has nothing to do with pork meat traders in nearby Paya Mengkuang, Masjid Tanah.

Na, who is also a supplier of pork, believes the incident was planned and politically-motivated by certain parties.

"It is the fault of politics. We do not want to get involved. We breed pigs and supply pork meat, we do not meddle in other peoples' affairs. We want to earn a living, not disturb other people," he told Malaysiakini .

According to him, there are 38 pig farms with 5,000 pigs in Paya Mengkuang.

Last Saturday, a coalition of Malay-based groups Pewaris held a demonstration at Masjid Tanah during which they burned four paper effigies of pigs.

pig issues in malacca The demonstration was in protest against the hanging of the wild boar's head from the Pewaris banner which they had placed in the area to promote a programme they had organised at a hotel in the area.

Pewaris - lead by Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia (PPIM) secretary-general Maamor - burned the effigies as a crowd of about 800 looked on.

The hanging of the wild boar’s head was the third in a series of similar incidents.

On Oct 18, locals found the skull of a pig on the beach of Pantai Pengkalan Balak, Masjid Tanah.

On Nov 13, a pig's head was reportedly found on the gates of a Masjid Tanah Umno division member’s house.

Political party inciting racial sentiments

Meanwhile, Na said his association has not received any threats following the incidents.

"We are good friends with the villagers. Our relations with them is good," he said.

He also claimed that many of those who attended the demonstration last week were 'outsiders' and not locals.

He added that several buses had ferried them to the Pewaris protest.

One member of the pig-breeders association, Lim Oh Pah, 53, called on the police to investigate the incident and identify the culprits.

"It has ended peacefully. Don’t blame anybody. It is sinful," he said.

Lim, a fourth-generation pig-breeder, also accused a Malay political party for inciting racial sentiments over the issue.

"The issue is small which has been blown out of proportion. (Political) antagonisms will lead to a lot of problems.

"We have been independent for 50 years but racial issues are still around and have not been settled. They want to exaggerate this (pig-head) issue," added Lim.