KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia should work with Singapore and other Asean countries to pressure companies linked to forest burning in Indonesia, including by restricting their access to financing, says Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
The Muar MP said Malaysia should issue a strong diplomatic protest over recurring transboundary haze and push for a united regional response, warning that the pollution was harming public health and disrupting children’s education.
The call comes amid worsening haze conditions that prompted the closure of all schools in Johor, Melaka, Negri Sembilan and Putrajaya on Tuesday (Oct 13).
The closures also affected schools in parts of Selangor and Pahang, while schools in other states continued operating as usual.
Last month, an emergency was declared in Serian, Sarawak, after the Air Pollutant Index (API) reached 521.
“Malaysia must do more than just make calls to the Indonesian president. We need to send a clear diplomatic protest, backed by Asean, particularly countries affected by the haze such as Singapore,” he said during the Budget 2027 debate in the Dewan Rakyat.
Syed Saddiq said financial institutions in Malaysia and Singapore, including Maybank, CIMB and DBS, should ensure companies linked to slash-and-burn practices cannot continue accessing financing through their markets.
“We need to hit them where it hurts the most. If companies are involved in slash-and-burn practices, they should not be allowed access to capital markets or loans from our institutions,” he said.
He also called for Malaysia to consider legislation similar to Singapore’s Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, which allows action against companies responsible for causing haze across borders.
Syed Saddiq stressed that Malaysian companies implicated in such activities must also face action, saying the issue should not be treated solely as a dispute between Malaysia and Indonesia.
He warned that haze-related school closures could deepen educational inequality, particularly for children from lower-income families who might lack laptops, tablets or reliable internet access for online learning.
“Those from poorer families are the ones most affected because they may not have laptops or tablets to access online education and repeated school closures could worsen learning loss,” he said.
