While leaders of the Asean countries meet and confer on various issues at the on-going Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur, they have yet to take any concrete steps to address the transboundary haze pollution which has severely affected member nations in the past.

On this, DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng expressed his disappointment that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has not done enough to prevent the haze menace from becoming an annual disaster for Malaysians.

"The prime minister must press Asean countries to implement the Asean Regional Haze Action Plan (RHAP) to compel Indonesia to fulfill its international obligations in checking the haze danger and preventing it from becoming a tragic annual disaster for Malaysians," he said in a statement today.

He called on Abdullah to use the opportunity provided by the presence of all Asean leaders at the summit to discuss ways to implement the RHAP, especially Indonesia's obligations under it.

He said the premier must treat as pressing the issue of the haze crisis in August this year which was due to illegal and uncontrolled fores fires in Indonesia.

"The pollution is still fresh in the minds of Malaysians. For the first time in Malaysian history, a state of emergency was declared when the air pollution index exceeded the extremely hazardous levels of 500."

Unreliable partner

He said that Indonesia must accept 'full responsibility' for its failure to fulfill its obligations to Asean and Malaysia as stated under Asean's cooperation plan on transboundary pollution.

The action plan has three primary objectives:

  • to prevent land and forest fires through better management policies and enforcement;
  • to establish operational mechanisms to monitor land and forest fires ;
  • to strengthen regional land and forest fire-fighting capability and other mitigating measures.

Lim also insisted that Indonesia be made to pay for its negligence by making adequate compensation for the illnesses and economic losses suffered by Malaysians.

"Clearly, Indonesia's failure to comply and develop its national plan to control the haze as required by the RHAP has shown it not to be a reliable partner for Asean solidarity."