Use trade leverage to tackle haze, Bersama leader tells govt

The government should use Malaysia’s trade leverage to hold plantation companies linked to forest fires in Indonesia accountable for the recurring transboundary haze, says Bersama’s Lee Chean Chung.

The former Petaling Jaya MP said Malaysian-linked plantation companies operating in Indonesia should be required to disclose their concession maps and fire records through Bursa Malaysia and the plantation and commodities ministry.

In a statement, Lee also proposed barring companies linked to fires from government procurement, certification and incentives, as well as publicly naming them.

“Malaysian capital must not profit from smoke that poisons Malaysian lungs,” he said in a statement.

Lee also called on the government to introduce a Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, saying the proposed legislation had remained unimplemented since he first called for it in August 2019.

He said the law should allow the environment department to compel companies to provide information and enable prosecution and civil claims against Malaysian and foreign firms responsible for haze affecting Malaysia, regardless of where the fires occurred.

Lee also proposed allowing satellite data and plantation concession maps to be used as evidence, alongside requiring companies to prove that their land was not the source of fires.

He urged Malaysia to activate existing Asean mechanisms to address the haze, including formally raising concerns over Indonesia’s obligations under the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.

Lee also called for an extraordinary meeting of the agreement’s Conference of the Parties, a meeting of the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee involving Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, and greater use of the Asean Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control.

Lee said the issue should also be raised at the 49th Asean Summit in Manila from Nov 16 to 18, with Malaysia seeking firm commitments from regional leaders and regular progress reports.

He criticised Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s stance that Putrajaya had done its best to tackle the transboundary haze affecting Malaysia, arguing that diplomatic engagement alone was insufficient.

He also questioned the foreign ministry’s handling of allegations involving Malaysian companies linked to fires in Indonesia, citing a recent parliamentary statement that the natural resources ministry had yet to receive confirmation from Wisma Putra on the companies concerned.

Lee said satellite hotspot data, concession maps and ownership records were available, and argued that the main obstacle was a lack of political will rather than a shortage of evidence.

“The haze is not a natural disaster. It is man-made, preventable and recurring,” he said.

A total of 24 areas in the country recorded unhealthy API readings at noon today, down from 27 yesterday afternoon.

Yesterday, government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil said most of the fires observed in Indonesia occurred outside oil palm concessions owned by Malaysian companies.

On Monday, foreign minister Mohamad Hasan said Southeast Asian foreign ministers would discuss how to tackle haze blanketing parts of the region ahead of the Asean summit next month.

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