KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 — The cross-border fog problem plaguing Malaysia cannot be solved through legislation alone, said Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change. He said this in parliament today.
He said the government believes diplomacy and negotiations among ASEAN member states are a better way to address the annual air pollution problem.
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“With regard to cross-border haze with burning in Sumatra and Kalimantan, the government has so far taken a diplomatic approach, taking the view that negotiations are a better way to deal with the issue. It shows.
“Transnational haze pollution cannot be solved by legislation alone, nor can we solve it by pointing fingers.
Nick Nazmi said: “Apart from its own country, we must acknowledge that Indonesia has improved its approach to plantation burning and peatland over the past two years, including issuing executive orders that diverge from previous courses of action.” It must be done,” he said. Dewan Rakyat.
He asked if there were any existing laws that could be taken against Malaysia’s neighboring countries regarding the burning incident in Sumatra, which has been reported as one of the causes of cross-border haze in the south of Perikatan National Party’s Bagan. – Reply to Serai MP Datuk Idris Ahmad. -East Asia.
Nick Nazmi said there is no specific law that currently exists, adding that there are also constraints that prevent Malaysia from introducing legislation.
“One of the constraints that prevents cross-border legislation is that it requires the assistance of location maps, coordinates, and information from landowners and companies opening fire areas.
“Therefore, it would not be possible to enforce this law without the will of neighboring countries, as it concerns the sovereignty of neighboring countries,” he said.
Nick Nazmi said the government is considering using diplomatic channels, technical cooperation and scientific research under the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Pollution (AATHP) to provide fire services to Malaysia’s neighboring countries. He said there was.
The AATHP is an agreement that has been in force since 2002, and Malaysia was one of the first member states to ratify it.
“But we also need to look at the domestic level, how the government plans to communicate cross-border haze incidents in the interest of the people and to ensure that the haze situation does not prolong. “Can we improve on this?” said Nick Nazmi.
He added that the ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a diplomatic note to Jakarta on October 6 regarding the haze situation in Malaysia, offering to cooperate to extinguish the fires in Indonesia.
He stressed that the government will not defend any Malaysian plantation company if it is caught conducting open burning in Indonesia.
Last Thursday, Puchong City MP Yeo Bee Ying raised the need for Malaysia to enact a cross-border haze law that would hold Malaysian companies and individuals responsible for the haze caused by open burning.
Mr Yeo said there was no specific law regulating the causes of haze and greater transparency would act as a deterrent against malpractices by Malaysian plantation companies in other countries.
In response, Nik Nazmi said that moving forward, ASEAN member states need to improve their AATHP, adding, “The current ASEAN agreement does not allow for penalties to be taken against companies or countries that cause cross-border haze.” There are no measures in place,” he said.
“This is one of the limitations in the existing framework,” he said.
He said the Canada-U.S. air quality agreement could serve as a model for ASEAN.
The Canada-U.S. Air Quality Agreement committed the two North American countries to significantly reduce emissions of pollutants that cause acid rain and cause smog.
Canada and the United States also agreed to establish an air quality commission that would submit a progress report every two years.