Malaysia: Social, economic costs of haze must be calculated -- Rafidah

TAN YI LIANG The Star 11 Oct 15;

PETALING JAYA: The social and economic costs of the recent haze must be calculated, said former International Trade and Industry Minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz (pic).

"The haze will be an annual nuisance, but the economic and social costs must be calculated in the event we need to make accountable those who are responsible for the environmental hazard," said Rafidah in a Facebook post on Sunday.

She added that the haze would have had an impact on the economy in terms of productivity and opportunity losses.

"The haze has forced schools to close intermittently, disrupting classes and exam schedules..And many outdoor programmes have also had to be curtailed or cancelled altogether and its negative impact on health and well-being certainly is significant," said Rafidah.

She added that another factor currently affecting the Malaysian economy was the current currency situation.

"The currency situation is still a hot topic of conversation in many quarters because of not only the volatility but also the impact of the weakening of the Malaysian Ringgit against other currencies," said Rafidah.

She added that while some sectors will benefit from a weaker Ringgit, other sectors that require imports from other countries such as hardware and the health sector will be affected.

"Perhaps the Ministries and the central agencies can undertake in-house studies to ascertain the costs to the nation, as a result of the Haze, the currency volatility and other issues impacting business confidence and investment into the Malaysian economy," said Rafidah.

Rafidah added that feedback from the private sector as to the impact of the haze and currency volatility can help to formulate measures to help them ride out the current economic situation.

"Private sector driven economic growth can move the nation forward as planned," she said.

She also pointed out that the annual budget will be tabled before Parliament soon.

"It is hoped that there will be focus on issues that impact upon the nation's productivity, on operating and development expenditure in an unpredictable economic environment," said Rafidah.


Haze situation worsens slightly in Malaysia
THE STAR/ANN AsiaOne 12 Oct 15;

KUALA LUMPUR - The haze situation in 52 areas nationwide has worsened slightly.

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The number of areas with good air quality went down from 14 as at 5pm on Saturday to 12 at 5pm yesterday while the areas recording moderate air quality increased from 38 to 40.

Meanwhile, former Cabinet mi­­nister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz said there was a need to count the losses Malaysia suffered due to the haze as it would come in handy if the autho­rities decided to go after the culprits.

She said ministries and federal authorities should work out a detailed bill on the damage in terms of productivity losses and opportunity costs due to the choking smoke from Indonesian fires.

"Certainly, the haze will be an annual nuisance, but the economic and social costs must be calculated and those who are responsible for the environmental hazard should be made accountable," she stated on her Facebook page yesterday.

Rafidah said it would be good for authorities to also determine how the ringgit depreciation and other related issues had impacted the Malaysian economy.

She said while some sectors were benefiting from a weaker ringgit, import dependent sectors were getting hit.


Haze to ease in the next few days
New Straits Times 11 Oct 15;

KUALA LUMPUR: Continuous rain forecasted in the late afternoon and evenings in coming days should further ease the haze situation in most of the country, according to an update from the Meteorological Department released today.

Light winds in several directions have already brought damp weather conditions to many parts of the country.

In general, good weather is forecasted for mornings.

The Meteorological Department forecasts rain and thunderstorms in the evenings covering most states in the West Coast of the Peninsula, the West of Sarawak and West of Sabah, while other parts of the country may also experience similar conditions.

"The hazy conditions experienced currently is expected to improve gradually if it rains, especially in the evenings and at dusk," the statement read.