Tackling transboundary haze: Does Malaysia need its own laws when Asean has a deal?
A man stands next to a fire in agricultural land in Kampar, in Sumatra island’s Riau province on September 16, 2019 as the city is blanketed by smoke from fires. — AFP pic
“Here we are in 2019, there are no serious institutions in place to prevent this toxic smoke from happening,” Kiu told Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin had on Sunday said her ministry will send a letter to the Asean Secretariat on the need to formulate and enforce a uniform trans-boundary haze law across the region to avoid recurrence of the problem in the future.
“This potentially puts power to respond to individuals who suffered the haze effects, for example a person with respiratory disease will be more motivated to hold people accountable, compared to a minister who does not. Don’t stand in their way,” he said. “For example, information such as activities of the palm oil players and information of palm oil subsidiaries has to be shared.
Indonesian soldiers walk next to a burnt peatland following a fire in Kampar, Riau province September 17, 2019. — AFP pic
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