By South China Morning Post | Created at 2026-06-05 10:38:17 | Updated at 2026-06-08 01:00:48
2 days ago
Pig farmers in the central state of Selangor have spent years trying to keep their business out of
Malaysia’s culture wars. A royal decree has dragged them straight into one.
The state’s decision to shut down pig farms, prompted by Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, Selangor’s hereditary ruler, has transformed a long-standing local dispute over pollution and odour into a flashpoint touching on royal influence, the livelihoods of a minority community and the delicate balancing act facing Malaysia’s multiracial government.
The row began last year as a local environmental complaint, with residents raising concerns over waste, smell, flies and river pollution from pig farms.
It escalated in January, when the Selangor palace objected to a state plan allowing pig farms in Tanjong Sepat, a coastal town in Kuala Langat district, to operate temporarily before moving to a centralised modern site in Bukit Tagar.
The palace said problems linked to pig farming in Kuala Langat had not been resolved since 2010 and later made clear that Sultan Sharafuddin did not consent to pig farming anywhere in Selangor.
