KUALA LUMPUR - A MALAYSIAN Chinese political leader on Friday said his party withdrew a threat to quit the opposition alliance in Kedah state after resolving a row with its Muslim allies over a pig abattoir.

Tension over the decision by state authorities in Kedah to demolish an illegal pig slaughterhouse had threatened to split the Pakatan Rakyat alliance which groups the multiracial Keadilan party, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) and the Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party (DAP).

Last week, the DAP threatened to pull out of the Kedah government, which is ruled by the Pakatan Rakyat but dominated by the PAS, because of opposition among the Chinese community to the demolition of the abattoir, the only one in the state.

The Chinese wanted a replacement before the illegal slaughterhouse was pulled down.

The pork industry is a sensitive issue in Malaysia, where Muslim Malays dominate the population alongside large Chinese and Indian minorities. The pig is considered unclean in Islam.

The DAP decided to stay in the state government after the PAS promised to find a new location for the slaughterhouse.

'We have decided to withdraw our decision to pull out from the Kedah state government,' DAP Kedah state chief Thomas Su told AFP.

'We are happy now ... we are willing to cooperate with the state government to continue to defend the rights and interest of all Malaysians,' he added.

The opposition alliance enjoyed unprecedented poll success last year, seizing control of a third of seats in parliament and control of four states, including Kedah, its best result ever.

But the wide ideological gulf between member parties has resulted in a series of wrangles and rows which threaten to jeopardise its plan to seize power from the Barisan Nasional coalition which rules nationally. -- AFP