OPINION | National Emergency: The Roast Pork Crisis
22 Feb 2026 • 6:00 PM MYT
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Fa Abdul
Photo credit: Malay Mail
Ladies and gentlemen, brace yourselves for a new national tragedy.
A senior minister has spoken about pork.
Not GDP. Not the fiscal deficit. Not policy paralysis.
Pork.
And according to certain analysts, this was a “new low” for the nation.
One almost expects the Jalur Gemilang to lower itself in embarrassment.
Let’s unpack this supposed catastrophe.
Pig farming in Selangor was under controversy. Malaysian Chinese families were preparing for CNY. Anxiety began bubbling - not just about meat, but about whether a cultural tradition might be disrupted.
A minister stepped up and said, “Supply is stable. There will be roast pigs at every CNY reunion dinners.”
The crowd cheered.
And somehow, this was political degeneration?
Fascinating.
Petty announcements? Really?
According to critics, this announcement was beneath the dignity of high office. A leader of the largest party in government should not be speaking about meat supply. That responsibility, we are told, should have been left to a deputy minister buried somewhere deep inside an agricultural spreadsheet.
And yet, when chicken prices spike, ministers rush to markets with cameras in tow. When cooking oil shortages hit, leaders hold press conferences. When rice prices worry households, they reassure Malaysians that supply will stabilise and the government will intervene to protect affordability.
In fact, PM Anwar Ibrahim himself has repeatedly addressed ordinary Malaysians directly about basic food affordability - because he understands that governance is not an abstract theory class. It lives in kitchens and at dining tables.
Was that beneath him?
Did anyone say, “Prime Minister, please leave the rice to a deputy minister”?
Did anyone gasp, “How dare the Prime Minister mention rice?”
Nope.
Because rice is serious. Chicken is serious. Cooking oil are serious.
When ministers tour wet markets and stores before Hari Raya to inspect prices, they are praised for being close to the rakyat. When the government announces price controls, it is decisive leadership. When cost-of-living packages are unveiled, it is compassion in action.
But pork?
Suddenly we are managing a hawker stall?
When it affects the majority, it is economic stewardship. When it affects a minority, is it suddenly grocery-store politics?
Please-lah.
Governance happens at dining tables
Let’s be honest. In Malaysia, festive food is not a side issue. It is emotional currency. Chinese New Year without roast pork is not merely a menu adjustment - it is cultural disruption.
When there was public anxiety over pig farming in Selangor, reassurance was not trivial. It was preventive politics.
If that felt like a “new low,” perhaps we need to revisit our definition of high office.
Because governance does not only happen in Putrajaya boardrooms. It happens at dining tables. At reunion dinners. In the quiet relief of knowing traditions continued uninterrupted.
Malaysia has many real crises. A roast pork announcement was not one of them.
Ladies and gentlemen, brace yourselves for a new national tragedy.
A senior minister has spoken about pork.
Not GDP. Not the fiscal deficit. Not policy paralysis.
Pork.
And according to certain analysts, this was a “new low” for the nation.
One almost expects the Jalur Gemilang to lower itself in embarrassment.
Let’s unpack this supposed catastrophe.
Pig farming in Selangor was under controversy. Malaysian Chinese families were preparing for CNY. Anxiety began bubbling - not just about meat, but about whether a cultural tradition might be disrupted.
A minister stepped up and said, “Supply is stable. There will be roast pigs at every CNY reunion dinners.”
The crowd cheered.
And somehow, this was political degeneration?
Fascinating.
Petty announcements? Really?
According to critics, this announcement was beneath the dignity of high office. A leader of the largest party in government should not be speaking about meat supply. That responsibility, we are told, should have been left to a deputy minister buried somewhere deep inside an agricultural spreadsheet.
And yet, when chicken prices spike, ministers rush to markets with cameras in tow. When cooking oil shortages hit, leaders hold press conferences. When rice prices worry households, they reassure Malaysians that supply will stabilise and the government will intervene to protect affordability.
In fact, PM Anwar Ibrahim himself has repeatedly addressed ordinary Malaysians directly about basic food affordability - because he understands that governance is not an abstract theory class. It lives in kitchens and at dining tables.
Was that beneath him?
Did anyone say, “Prime Minister, please leave the rice to a deputy minister”?
Did anyone gasp, “How dare the Prime Minister mention rice?”
Nope.
Because rice is serious. Chicken is serious. Cooking oil are serious.
When ministers tour wet markets and stores before Hari Raya to inspect prices, they are praised for being close to the rakyat. When the government announces price controls, it is decisive leadership. When cost-of-living packages are unveiled, it is compassion in action.
But pork?
Suddenly we are managing a hawker stall?
When it affects the majority, it is economic stewardship. When it affects a minority, is it suddenly grocery-store politics?
Please-lah.
Governance happens at dining tables
Let’s be honest. In Malaysia, festive food is not a side issue. It is emotional currency. Chinese New Year without roast pork is not merely a menu adjustment - it is cultural disruption.
When there was public anxiety over pig farming in Selangor, reassurance was not trivial. It was preventive politics.
If that felt like a “new low,” perhaps we need to revisit our definition of high office.
Because governance does not only happen in Putrajaya boardrooms. It happens at dining tables. At reunion dinners. In the quiet relief of knowing traditions continued uninterrupted.
Malaysia has many real crises. A roast pork announcement was not one of them.
***
I just love Fatima 💓💓💓
Pork dishes, especially during major festivals as well as Taoist prayer offerings, has a deep cultural significance among Chinese Malaysians.
ReplyDeletePutrajaya (and Istana Shah Alam's) dismissive attitudes towards pork availability and affordability , so close to Chinese New Year went down like a lead balloon.
Simply saying - No more domestic farming, just switch to imports in future - has serious implications for availability and affordability in future.