Bali’s deputy governor appears to be downright offended by comments made by Jakarta Governor “Ahok” Basuki Tjahaja that dog meat from Bali is shipped to the capital. But he also seems to have a sneaking suspicion there could be some truth to the allegations—though he doesn’t flat out admit it.
“I just heard that Pak Ahok said that. In a moment, I’ll try to contact Pak Ahok. If that’s true (what Ahok said about dogs in Jakarta are from Bali), I really deplore that,” Bali deputy governor I Ketut Sudikerta said on Wednesday, as quoted by Merdeka.
Though Sudikerta says allegations that much of the Jakarta dog meat is from Bali are just getting taken out of hand by the media, he also told Merdeka that he will investigate further if dogs really are getting smuggled en masse from Bali to supply Jakarta’s now legalized dog meat market.
If it is true, then there’s a serious health concern, Sudikerta pointed out, with the ever-spreading disease of rabies amongst Bali’s dogs. “Bali is suffering at the moment from a rabies problem,” Sudikerta pointed out, adding “from where are all the dogs. A lot of dogs enter Bali. If smuggling is happening, it’s beyond our control, but we will act firmly.”
“Currently, the crossing from Gilimanuk is very tight, if there is smuggling of animals from Java, they could get away in Ketapang, but they would be caught when they arrive in Gilimanuk,” Sudikerta concluded.
Photo: Pixabay
