Telling Malaysians that we are helpless in fighting the hazardous air quality is not the way to handle the haze situation, said Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) information chief Tian Chua today.

Instead of pinning the blame on Indonesia's open burning, he said the government should come out with clear instructions for the people to handle the situation and effective long-term actions to overcome the problem.

"The government simply blames it on the open burning in Indonesia...is that all? It tells us the cause but it doesn't solve the problem.

"What the people need is clear instructions on how to survive this crisis. But we have not seen any of that. We don't even know what type of mask is appropriate!" he said at a press conference.

"It is not like this is our first experience because a similar crisis took place in 1997. It gives one the impression that the government does not know what to do," he added.

DOE appears lost

The opposition leader pointed out that the Department of Environment (DOE) also appeared to be groping in the dark.

"If you go to the DOE's website the only instruction there is that the department has banned open burning in the Klang Valley and Negri Sembilan. No other information...This is ridiculous! Open burning has already been made illegal in the first place," he said.

Tian also said the government's statement to declare emergency once the Air Pollutant Index (API) exceeds the emergency level of 500 has not cleared people's fear.

"The people must be told what to do. There should be a blanket direction like banning all outdoor works, close all schools, limit transportation at affected areas, stop factory works that emit smoke.

"Assurances must be given that those who refuse to comply with the directives will be penalised. These have not been done," he added.

He said the government must also direct all employers to be responsible for health costs especially to those who work in the open.

"The workers should not be burdened to buy the mask from their own pockets. Their employers should pay for it," he added.

Apart from this, the PKR leader urged the government to initiate the implementation of a comprehensive action plan at the Asean level.

"There is already a good regional haze action plan - 'Fire, Smoke and Haze: The Asean Response and Strategy'. It's a comprehensive 290-page plan by experts in 1997. What happened to that? Thrown into the dustbin?" he asked.

"There is a need to set a long-term procedure because we know this will continue until September. It will come back again in June next year. there must be a thorough study on the health impact," he added.

No transparency

Tian was also of the view that the government is deliberately planting into the minds of the people that it is a natural phenomenon instead of stressing that it is a problem related to pollution.

"This is not a mere haze. This is air pollution. The Indonesians call it asap (smoke) which I think is a better description. Thanks to the government's complacency, the Malaysians have accepted the recurrence of the problem with ease," he said.

He said the government's lack of transparency in dealing with the issue has worsened the situation and called for the complete lifting of the ban on the API.

"After checking the satellite photos, we found hot spots (open burning) in seven to eight places in the Klang Valley between February and June this year. But this was not made public. If informed we could have taken preventive measures to lessen the impact.

"And the government is deliberately not telling us the reading of the API. The reading we have now is not a reversal of the eight year ban. The government is merely releasing the readings on places where the haze is above 200," he added.
Divine intervention

Echoing Tian's views was PAS consumer and environment bureau chief Mahfuz Omar who believed that the government must put the people's health above other interests.

"The government should not give in to the fear that the API reading would have negative impact on the country's economy and tourism. It must take drastic action to ensure that the effects of the air pollution is minimal," he said.

He said although the open burning in Sumatera is the main factor, the government must also consider the domestic factors that can worsen the situation.

"Many things should have already been done. Smoke emission from vehicles should be minimised. Spraying of water from tall buildings could also help ease the situation... PAS is disappointed with the government's lack of commitment in dealing with the situation seriously," he added.

He also informed that PAS will organise 'Istisqa prayers' - a special prayer to invoke rain at several places in the Klang Valley and asked all mosques to do the same.

In a related development, PAS secretary general Kamaruddin Jaafar said the party will be distributing face masks and leaflets on air pollution for free to Kuala Lumpur motorists, especially motorcyclists.

He urged the government to take affirmative actions as soon as possible to safeguard public health and proposed that operation rooms be established throughout the city to ensure that the actions can be taken systematically.

He also said PAS is willing to provide assistance to any party including the government to overcome the crisis.