Malaysia is open to introducing a law similar to Singapore’s to tackle transboundary haze, but the government says the biggest hurdle is gathering enough evidence to identify and prosecute those responsible.
Deputy Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh told the Dewan Rakyat that there was no obstacle in principle to introducing such legislation if the government decides it is necessary.
The issue was raised by Bangi MP Syahredzan Johan, who asked whether Malaysia would consider adopting a law similar to Singapore’s Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, which has been in force since 2014.
Syed Ibrahim said Malaysia could do so, but any new law must come with clear mechanisms to ensure it can actually be enforced and used to penalise those responsible.
Singapore’s law allows authorities to take action against companies, including foreign entities, whose activities contribute to haze affecting the country.
Biggest problem is proving who caused the haze
According to Syed Ibrahim, the main challenge is obtaining sufficient evidence.
Authorities would need information such as the coordinates of the fires, ownership of the affected land, the parties carrying out activities there, and evidence directly linking those fires to haze reaching Malaysia.
He said gathering this level of information requires detailed investigations and scrutiny.
That means even if Malaysia introduces its own haze law, enforcement could still be difficult without cooperation and access to evidence from the country where the fires occur.
Govt says law should also act as deterrent
Syed Ibrahim said one purpose of such legislation would be to deter parties from carrying out open burning when their actions affect not only local communities, but also people in neighbouring countries.
He added that Malaysia cannot rely on short-term solutions as the haze could continue returning without a comprehensive mechanism to address it.
For now, Malaysia will also continue working through regional mechanisms, including the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, science diplomacy and the regional haze fund.
Singapore, meanwhile, has recently stepped up enforcement under its existing law, issuing preventive-measure notices to Indonesian companies linked to areas affected by fires.
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