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PAS lawmaker blasts giant panda programme

127,265 pengunjung lawat pusat konservasi panda gergasi, kata Palanivel

A PAS lawmaker has criticised Malaysia's giant panda programme, saying that spending RM60 to 70 million to keep a pair of the animals in Malaysia was a "ridiculous agreement" made by a "stupid government".

Pokok Sena MP Datuk Mahfuz Omar also questioned what benefits Malaysia would gain from research on panda behaviour given that the animals were not native to the country.

"To commemorate 40 years of our diplomatic ties with China, we are paying them RM60-70 million for 10 years just for these pandas. But China does not give us any money to commemorate 40 years of diplomatic ties. This is a ridiculous agreement by a stupid government.

"They say we can gain benefits from studying panda behaviour. Please tell the public what kinds of benefits we can learn from the pandas," Mahfuz said to reporters at PAS's office in Kuala Lumpur today.

According to the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry, Malaysia has spent RM60 million so far to bring the pair of giant pandas to the country.

RM25 million was spent building the animals' enclosure at the National Zoo, RM15 million on maintenance and RM20 million on rental for the first four years.

The pandas – Fu Wa and Feng Yi – are here on loan from the Chinese government for 10 years to mark 40 years of diplomatic ties between Malaysia and China that began on May 31.

They currently live in an enclosure built specifically for them in Zoo Negara.

It was previously reported that visitors to the zoo would have to pay an extra RM20 to see the pandas.

A report in the Star also said Malaysia has the opportunity to undertake giant panda conservation research, besides being able to develop and train local experts in the field.

In a play of words, Mahfuz chided the government for being more interested in the welfare of pandas than in divorcees and widows, a group that has typically relied on the government for aid.

"The government is obsessed with pandas not ‘janda’ (widows and divorcees). There are about 880,000 janda in Malaysia but the government is more interested in two pandas." – May 29, 2014.