KENINGAU: The Government is prepared to offer asset assistance to Indonesia if required to help manage forest fires and the transboundary haze problem.
Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup said this reflects Malaysia’s commitment to collaborating with neighbouring countries to jointly address the issue.
“Our Government has offered asset assistance if necessary. We are ready to assist neighbouring countries so that we can tackle this problem together,” he said.
According to him, Malaysia, through the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), has also developed several systems to help monitor haze movement, which are shared with Indonesia and other nations.
He said sharing these systems is crucial for strengthening regional cooperation in monitoring, thereby enabling early action to be taken to mitigate the impact of transboundary haze.
Earlier, Arthur held a phone discussion with Indonesian Environment Minister Mohammad Jumhur Hidayat during which both countries agreed to step up preventive measures and early firefighting efforts following the El Niño phenomenon, which is expected to intensify by October.
He said this when met after officiating at the launch of the Nexus Programme, the opening of Dewan Seri Awantang and the handover of the Poor Students’ Trust Fund (KWAPM) 2026 at SK Karamatoi, near here.
Arthur said the implementation of the Nexus Programme at the school could serve as a platform to strengthen relationships between the school, parents and the community in supporting pupils’ educational development.
At the event, a total of 161 pupils received KWAPM aid of RM100 each in an effort to help ease the burden on families in providing for their children’s schooling needs.
