#ExecuteAWA, Malaysia’s first national humanity movement — ignited a historical turning point in the nation’s animal welfare landscape by convening the country’s first national humanity press conference, powerfully uniting regional animal welfare stakeholders under one uncompromising national mission for justice and integrity to the cause.
Kicking things off is the inaugural launch of #ProjekTogetherBoleh, Malaysia’s first preventive-versus-reactive and science-based programme for stray population management, simultaneously announcing the submission of a Discovery Application to the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS).
Amplifying collective action at a civic scale for better animal welfare governance, this overdue demonstration of national solidarity for the voiceless emerges at a critical moment when research reveals a terrifying 2,035% spike in reported animal cruelty cases to DVS between 2016 and 2025. Yet, only a puny 0.22% face prosecution.
Further sharpening this injustice is a letter from the Ministry of Housing and Local Government issued on 9 May 2025, declaring the government’s rejection of spay-and-neuter efforts, in favour of a strict, unfounded catch-and-kill policy.
These troubling signals not only reflect on the damaging decline of Malaysia’s societal values, but also on extensive systemic fracture — exacerbated by fragmented responses, disintegrous enforcement, and the absence of an ethical, evidential and integrating national framework.
#ExecuteAWA Founder, Sue Ann Kong said, “Our nation’s animal cruelty and painful stray crisis did not just happen overnight. This horrific 2,035% proliferation on reported animal cruelty cases not only affirms weaknesses in evidence gathering, case triage, chain-of-custody issues, interagency coordination, and public reporting systems, but also that – scattered and independent due diligences by NGOs, feeders and rescuers to care for strays and pursue justice for animals over the past decades — can no longer sustain as compensation for institutional complacency, and should no longer be abused to mask opportunistic governance. The government’s reign on the goodwill of Malaysia’s kind communities must end.”
Kong said this after the President of Claws, Choo Dee Wei, announced the submission of a Discovery Application to the DVS, formally demanding full exposure, evidence, information and accountability for the country’s disturbing surge in animal cruelty cases.
Turning governance failure into actionable solutions, #ExecuteAWA then raised the bar by introducing holistic solutions beyond culling. Harnessing global research integrated with Malaysia’s hard realities, #ProjekTogetherBoleh uses an innovative population model developed by #ExecuteAWA, which adopts a reverse-engineering methodology to apply realistic variables such as mortality, reproduction and diminishing rates to correctly assess stray population statistics.
Kong explained, “This backbone was specifically created to equip local councils with irrefutable data, helping authorities make informed decisions on stray population strategies that offer evidence to the effectiveness of TNVRM efforts, putting an end to catch-and-kill methods, once and for all.”
“I fully support #ExecuteAWA’s #ProjekTogetherBoleh,” said YB Lee Chean Chung, Member of Parliament for Petaling Jaya, as he officiated the national programme. “Beyond it pioneering a coordinated national conscience rooted in unity, science, compassion and personal responsibility, it invites concerted efforts at all levels to #ExecuteTNVRM (Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Reclaim|Rehome|Return-Microchip|Manage) under a synergistic, strategic and structured approach. Most importantly, #ProjekTogetherBoleh is a needed reminder for proactive leadership built on the foundations of #PositiveEcosystems. The name and the spirit of the programme are already self-explanatory. This is everyone’s chance to be national exemplars to the cause,” he concluded.
This spirited press conference brought together national stakeholders from across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak, formalising a shared commitment to collaboratively and positively guide authorities towards humane and data-driven initiatives that facilitate systemic legal and policy reforms, all aimed at strengthening Malaysia’s animal protection standards.
Negeri Sembilan animal NGO, Pertubuhan Kebajikan Haiwan Terbiar Negeri Sembilan, also known as NS Happy Paws, was the first to mobilise #ProjekTogetherBoleh in the country — encompassing trap, neuter, vaccine (including rabies protection), release, and the state’s first-ever microchipping efforts, representing a groundbreaking step towards building a truly cooperative, science-based, and comprehensive animal management framework in Negeri Sembilan.
President of NS Happy Paws, Jude Ignatius Lazaroo affirmed that, “We are proud to work with #ExecuteAWA as a single, national mission to choose evidence over optics. The historical outcomes globally and locally that we’ve presented today are already proof that sterilisation, vaccination, and responsible management reduce roaming animal populations more sustainably than reactive culling. For too long, TNVRM implementation has been uneven because NGOs, feeders and rescuers are ‘expected’ to absorb what should be structured municipal responsibility. Putting solutions, unity and innovation on the table, #ExecuteAWA is calling for formalised public-private frameworks, budget lines, and accountable KPIs for all stakeholders – including for us NGOs, so that TNVRM is institutionalised — not dependent on volunteer fatigue.”
He added that this national movement for collective power through community-driven action to advance Malaysia’s animal welfare standards is finally bringing about the genuine and measurable change long needed for both people and animals in the country.
A special tribute video was also presented as #ExecuteAWA’s homage to Malaysia’s feeders, rescuers and NGOs. The event further unveiled #ExecuteAWA’s upgraded national digital platform, Malaysia’s first unified animal-welfare hub — built to collect and share data, awaken public responsibility, expose citizens to the harsh realities of Malaysia’s animal welfare environments, and advocate for collective efforts that turn compassion into coordinated action across the nation.
Hosted at Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus, participating NGOs and partners in this national shift include SPCA Selangor, IAPWA Penang, TNRM Malaysia, Taylor’s Animal Welfare Society, HEART Sabah, SKJP Pahang, Bustana Kucing Perlis, 4Paws Penang, Humane Animal Society Sarawak (HASS), 4Paws Langkawi, Sarawak Animal Rescuers Association (SARA), amongst others across Malaysia.
Register to stand for Malaysia’s humanity against animal cruelty at www.executeawa.com
