Netizens Claim Veganism Is Not Suitable For M'sia After PETA's Zombie Protest Went Viral
"Forcing Malaysians to go vegan is like pushing Gunung Kinabalu towards Perlis. It's not really going to happen."
By Aqasha Nur’aiman — 30 Mar 2023, 05:17 PM
Veganism is a popular dietary choice in which people who adhere to the diet only consume food that does not contain animal products
While veganism is already popular in Western countries, the majority of Malaysians are still not used to the idea of this diet.
Yesterday, 29 March, Free Malaysia Today reported that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia held a protest in front of the PETRONAS Twin Towers to advocate the vegan lifestyle.
The protestors were seen dressed in zombie costumes while carrying placards that read, "Flesh is flesh. Go vegan," in three different languages.
Although the protest was done peacefully, many Twitter users chided the organisation for the way they promoted the vegan lifestyle
One user quoted the news report by Free Malaysia Today and asked the group to stop forcing their beliefs on those who do not practise the diet.
"Plus, veganism has already been here for decades anyway with Taoism and Buddhism. Just live harmoniously together. Don't go full Western PETA," they wrote.
At the time of writing, their tweet has garnered over 397,000 views and over 4,700 retweets, and it sparked a heated discussion among netizens.
Another wrote that PETA should be banned in Malaysia, claiming that the organisation is a public nuisance.
Meanwhile, one user defended the protestors and said that they were not pushing their ideology.
"They [were just letting] people know what they are thinking," they wrote.
Popular Twitter user @IzzraifHarz also joined the discussion and said that promoting veganism in Malaysia is not possible anyway, due to the food that many locals consume.
"Forcing Malaysians to go vegan is like pushing Gunung Kinabalu towards Perlis. It's not really going to happen," they wrote.
"Many of our traditional foods are not so vegan-friendly (but there are a lot of vegan alternative recipes nowadays), especially Malay, they literally have Hari Raya Korban," they added.
The user also said that they tasted vegan rendang in the past, adding that although it tasted good, it lacked the texture and chewiness that they desired.
"I mean, it's a good alternative, but I still like beef rendang to eat with ketupat."
"There's no way to ever guilt trip Malaysians to be vegan except for religious reasons," replied one user.
A netizen also pointed out that most of the traditional Malaysian kuihs and desserts are vegan.
