"This always happens during the hot and dry season. We would like to apologise to the governments of Singapore and Malaysia," says Mr Hamdhani Mukhdar Said on the sidelines of an ASEAN meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
Melissa Goh, Malaysia Bureau Chief, Channel NewsAsia 8 Sep 15;
KUALA LUMPUR: An Indonesian Member of Parliament (MP) has apologised to neighbouring countries for the haze that is enveloping Singapore and most parts of Malaysia.
Mr Hamdhani Mukhdar Said, an MP in charge of international relations and environment, said Jakarta has allocated US$1 million to provinces bearing the brunt of forest fires. He was speaking on the sidelines of an ASEAN inter-parliamentary meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
The haze in Kuala Lumpur, brought on by forest fires burning in Sumatra and Kalimantan, has altered lifestyles somewhat. City dwellers have been advised to stay indoors and keep themselves hydrated. Those who need to be out and about make sure to put on their masks. Meanwhile, motorists have been urged to car pool or use public transport for the time being to reduce pollution.
Air quality in most places in the southern and central states of peninsular Malaysia registered unhealthy levels on Tuesday (Sep 8). The acrid smell is expected to get worse with the onset of the dry season.
Prime Minister Najib Razak, speaking at the ASEAN inter-parliamentary assembly, highlighted the regional agreement on transboundary haze pollution that is binding on all 10 member countries, including Indonesia. Jakarta had finally ratified the agreement early in January after being accused of dragging its feet for years.
Mr Najib said: “It is a historic step one that many of us in the region know all too well, it is absolutely necessary. It is the right to clean air, which is topical."
Under the agreement, it is incumbent on Indonesia to mitigate the problem through a concerted national effort and international cooperation. If it does not, it can be held liable for wreaking havoc on its neighbours, something which Indonesian MPs have repeatedly apologised for.
Mr Hamdhani, who is also the MP for Kalimantan, said: "This always happens during the hot and dry season. We would like to apologise to the governments of Singapore and Malaysia."
Malaysian parliamentarians are calling on their Indonesian counterparts to do more to tackle the perennial problem. Said Mr Pandikar Amin, Malaysia’s Speaker of the House of Representatives: "The Indonesian side must make sure that … when people who are doing it, (if) big companies, oil palm plantations are doing the burning, they will be fined."
The situation, which has plagued Indonesia and its neighbours for years, has led to some finger-pointing. Jakarta has in the past claimed that some of the big plantation companies behind the slash-and-burn practices were Malaysian-owned.
- CNA/ms
Haze: Indonesian MP Apologises To Malaysia, Singapore
Bernama 8 Sep 15;
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 (Bernama) -- A member of the Indonesian House of Representatives today apologised to Malaysia and Singapore over the haze problem which has affected the two countries.
Hamdhani Mukhdar Said, a member of the National Democratic Party for the Kalimantan Tengah constituency, said the Indonesian government was taking measures prevent the fires in several districts in Sumatra and Kalimantan.
"We apologise to the governments of Malaysia and Singapore on the matter...The Indonesian government has done its level best to combat the problem, in fact our president (Joko Widodo) has also visited the locations," he told reporters on the sidelines of the 36th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) here today.
He said Indonesia was experiencing a dry season which caused the forest fires.
"Some communities are opening farms, but if they started the fires, we will punish them.
"But in some areas, the fires started by themselves due to the extreme hot weather, in fact some Malaysian-owned oil palm plantations were also razed," he said.
However, he said the rainy weather in Kuala Lumpur has helped to reduce the impact of haze here.
According to the Department of Environment website, seven areas recorded unhealthy API (Air Pollutant Index) exceeding 100 as at 8 am this morning.
Three areas in Negeri Sembilan with unhealthy API readings were Nilai (135), Port Dickson (117) and Seremban (114).
Also having unhealthy API were Melaka city (111), Bukit Rambai (126), Batu Muda (Kuala Lumpur) (108) and Banting (106).
-- BERNAMA
Indonesia apologises for haze
MARTIN CARVALHO The Star 8 Sep 15;
KUALA LUMPUR: An Indonesian Member of Parliament has apologised for the haze currently blanketing the region.
Hamdhani Mukhdar Said, who is in charge of environment and international relations, said he would raise the issue with the Indonesian parliament for more efforts to deal with the haze situation.
"I want to apologise to the Malaysian people for the haze.
"The annual haze is not intentional but due to the droughts that affects parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan," he told reporters during a break in the 36th General Assembly of the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly here on Tuesday.
He said the Indonesian central government has allocated US$1mil to provinces affected by peat and forest fires.
"We will request the government for more allocation to help fight the fires," he added.
The haze afflicting Malaysia is a result of widespread clearing of forests in Indonesia for oil palm plantations.
Indonesia apologises for haze
ROZANNA LATIFF New Straits Times 8 Sep 15;
KUALA LUMPUR: An Indonesian member of parliament has apologised for the bout of haze currently affecting the region.
Hamdhani Mukhdar Said, one of eight Indonesian delegates here for the 36th General Assembly of the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), said the issue would be raised with the Indonesian parliament, in order to push for more action to deal with the haze situation.
"I want to apologise to the Malaysian people for the haze.
The fires that caused the haze were not started intentionally but were due to the drought affecting parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan," he told reporters on the sidelines of the event.
The Indonesian central government, he said, had allocated a total of US$1 billion annually to combat fires, particularly in provinces such as Riau and Jambi, where over 200 hotspots have been detected.
"We appreciate any other form of assistance we can get, especially in terms of manpower and infrastructure."
"There are many places where the fires are occurring, but we have been unable to put them out because we do not have the right tools or machinery to get the water there," Hamdhani said.
Indonesia officially ratified the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution in September last year, the 10th and final Asean country to do so since the treaty was first signed in 2002.
