KUALA LUMPUR: The government will not defend Malaysian companies operating overseas which contribute to transboundary haze, says Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.
“We have reminded plantation companies operating in neighbouring countries that we will not defend them if they are involved in open burning (especially) in Indonesia,” the Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister said during Ministers' Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (Oct 12).
Nik Nazmi said his ministry and the Foreign Ministry had submitted a diplomatic note to the Indonesian government informing Jakarta of the haze situation in Malaysia and the intention to work together on operations to put out fires at affected areas.
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Nik Nazmi said the transboundary haze issue cannot be resolved solely through the enactment of laws or by pointing fingers.
“We have to admit that aside from Malaysia, Indonesia too had taken steps to address the issue of burning at plantations and peat fires in the past few years, through a presidential decree and other measures,” he said.
He said there were several impediments to enacting transboundary laws such as coordinates, location, and the details of landowners and companies operating in the affected areas.
“As it involves the sovereignty of a neighbouring country and if they are not willing to cooperate, we will not be able to enforce the law,” he said.
He said while Singapore has a Transboundary Act in place, it has not been successful when it comes to mounting legal charges.
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“We will adopt the diplomatic approach and also (seek) technical and scientific cooperation under the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP).
“This agreement (has) existed since 2002 and Malaysia was among the first nations to sign,” he said.
Moving forward, Nik Nazmi said Asean member states must work towards improving the AATHP to combat the cross-boundary haze situation affecting the region.
He said under the current Asean agreement there are no provisions for punitive action to be initiated against companies or countries which induce haze.
“This is a constraint we have under the current framework,” he said.
Nik Nazmi was responding to a question from Datuk Idris Ahmad (PN-Bagan Serai) on whether or not existing Acts suffice in terms of enforcement against neighbouring countries.
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The annual haze which results from forest fires in Indonesia has been a bone of contention in the region for several years.
Every dry season, the region is covered in smog due to smoke from fires in Indonesia. These fires are usually from land clearing for oil palm and other plantations.
Indonesian Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said on Oct 6 that forest fires in some parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan had declined with no haze detected moving to Malaysia.
Her remarks came after Nik Nazmi said in a recent interview with Reuters that he had asked his Indonesian counterpart to address the haze as air quality in the country was worsening, saying haze should not be a new normal.
