With Asean haze law ineffective, it’s time for our own

A TRANSBOUNDARY haze law, as mentioned in “Time to draft a transboundary haze law” (Sunday Star, Sept 22; online at bit.ly/star_ hazelaw), would be strongly endorsed by all Malaysians, as everyone, from students and workers to businesses, is suffering from the haze.

It was disappointing to read that the illegal burning of forests to clear land in Indonesia has been endangering our health and disrupting our lives since as far back as 1982.

International environmental laws say that every nation must take responsibility for causing transboundary pollution. It is only reasonable and necessary that Malaysia and other haze-affected member nations of Asean urgently review the 2002 Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.

The treaty’s aim to prevent, monitor, and mitigate land and forest fires to control transboundary haze pollution through concerted national efforts needs strong enforcement. That it is not being enforced is evident in the recurring haze, throwing up questions about the level of commitment Asean nations, including Indonesia, have for this treaty.

While all Asean member countries ratified the agreement in 2014, it does not count for much if strong political will and leadership are lacking to enforce it.

To counter the apathy and lack of concrete action, perhaps the countries most affected, Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore, should consider imposing sanctions.

At the very least, our government may need to do what Singapore did when it took proactive legal action under its own Transboundary Haze Pollution Act 2014. That led to massive fines against several Indonesian companies blamed for plantation fires.