Recently, the nation once again sees the heartless killing of helpless animals in the hands of selfish and irresponsible individuals. On June 12, 2022, an article appears on China Press concerning the cold-blooded killing of cats on the premise of a local factory by means of leaving the cat under the hot Sun, much as one would do to rats (which, by the way, is not just a disdainful act, but also criminal).

The article depicts what has been claimed to be the text exchanges between the Executive Director of Panasonic in Malaysia, who appears to have sanctioned the killing of cats in the compound of her factory by caging them and putting them under the hot Sun. It is unclear whether she ordered such an act or perpetrated it herself, but, if the photos and text exchanges are genuine and faithful, it is clear that she sanctions such a heartless act and has warned her subordinates not to feed cats on the premise. We are not outright accusing her or Panasonic of this disdainful act, but we demand:

that relevant authorities conduct a thorough investigation of the incident and prosecute the perpetrator(s) in court with the severest of penalties.

As concerned citizens of this democratic country of Malaysia, we are demanding that the following be done by relevant authorities:

1. That justice be served by prosecuting the perpetrator in court under Seksyen 30 Akta Kebajikan Haiwan 2015.
2. That, if found to be indeed carried out by Panasonic Malaysia’s employees, that Panasonic dismisses the perpetrators from their positions.
3. That, if found to be indeed carried out by Panasonic Malaysia’s employees, then Panasonic or the perpetrators themselves be made to pay a total of RM 100,000 into a fund to be set up to sternly remind the public of the criminal nature of animal cruelty and whose fund will be used to support animal welfare.

To elaborate on the points above:

Seksyen 30 Akta Kebajikan Haiwan 2015:

1. In this Section, Item 2 forbids the killing of animal in any way or whatsoever unless conditions 2(a) through 2(g) are met, none of which warranted the perpetrators’ act to be in accordance to the law–if the text exchanges are genuine and faithful. Under this piece of law, whoever is found guilty violating Subsections 1 & 2 can be fined up to RM 100,000 or be jailed up to three years, or both.
2. That Panasonic dismisses the perpetrators from their positions is a message to members of the general public not to perpetrate the criminal act of animal killing just because the animal(s) inconvenienced them. This is also a message that Panasonic can get across that, as a corporation, it does not sanction such an act by any of its employees and that Panasonic regrets this careless act of its employees. (Under the premise that this act was indeed carried out by Panasonic employees.)
3. And, as a token of Panasonic’s regret–as well as the employees’ remorse (hopefully), a fund can be set up from the court fine to assist animal lovers and volunteers to humanely control the population of stray cats and dogs in the country in collaboration with various governmental organizations. As a matter of fact, there are countless animal volunteers that are carrying out TNR (i.e. Trap-Neuter-Release) activities on an individual basis to try and control the stray population so that fewer are born into risky environments and face unwanted realities. Nonetheless, due to the independent and individual nature of such initiatives, funds are often very limited. This fund to be set up will help alleviate the burden of rescuers and help control the stray population.

Each and every signature in this petition signifies the concern of a citizen and resident of Malaysia and we collectively demand an end to animal cruelty through strict enforcement of the law, among others. We look forward to actions being taken by relevant authorities.

Thank you!