Malaysia copes with haze from Indonesia<\/p>\n
By David Chew<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE (JP): The song Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by the
\nPlatters has always been a popular hit with many Malaysians. But
\ntoday as its lilting strains come clear over the air waves, they
\ndo not evoke romantic memories. Instead they are a constant
\nreminder of a physical discomfort.<\/p>\n
Much of this irritation is due to the haze that has hit
\nMalaysia for the past month. Its smoke gets in your eyes --
\nliterally. Many Malaysians are not only down with haze-related
\nailments like conjunctivitis, but they have also become
\nasthmatic.<\/p>\n
But physical discomfort is a pale comparison to a deeper sense
\nof anguish which grips the mood of many people. Bottled-up
\nfrustration can turn ugly at times, especially when sore eyes
\nshed more tears, parched throats become drier and hoarse coughs
\nbecome louder.<\/p>\n
On such occasions you can understand why some people curse the
\nauthorities for not doing enough to relieve their discomfort.<\/p>\n
They are pointing an accusing finger at Indonesia where raging
\nforest fires in parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan have caused the
\nhaze. They are also angry with Malaysian authorities for not
\nbeing aware of the problem earlier, and alerting the Indonesians
\nto do something before the situation got any worse.<\/p>\n
There have been small demonstrations in front of the
\nIndonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur led by environmental groups.
\nLim Kit Siang, leader of the Democratic Action Party, has called
\nfor a parliamentary debate where members would presumably let out
\nsteam (and smoke) against both the Malaysian and Indonesian
\nauthorities.<\/p>\n
In the realm of local politics, the opposition theocratic
\nIslamic Party which rules the northern conservative state of
\nKelantan, has exploited the issue of the haze in a bid to pick up
\nmore of the Moslem vote by taking a dig at its arch-rival, the
\nUnited Malays National Organization (UMNO) which heads the multi-
\nparty ruling National Front coalition government of Malaysia.<\/p>\n
Nik Aziz Nik Mat, the much-revered Chief Minister of Kelantan
\ntaunted UMNO by saying that his state was free from the haze,
\nunlike the other National Front-controlled states which had been
\n"punished" by God for their "un-Islamic" activities. UMNO leaders
\nare too busy liaising with Indonesian authorities concerning the
\nhaze to bother about what they regard as his childish "antics".<\/p>\n
President Soeharto's apology to Indonesia's neighbors hit by
\nthe haze appears to be cold comfort to many Malaysians who feel
\nit is a case of too little and too late.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the Malaysian government has acknowledged the
\napology and sent firefighters to Indonesia to help extinguish the
\nforest fires in addition to seeding clouds to induce haze-
\nclearing rain. Malaysian leaders are also passing the hat around
\nto collect funds for some of the victims of forest fires in
\nIndonesia, a gesture presumably appreciated by Indonesia.<\/p>\n
All these actions go a long way to show that close and cordial
\nbilateral ties are not only for times of economic prosperity.
\nThey can also be forged and sustained during such trying times as
\nthe haze.<\/p>\n
But Malaysians by and large continue to view the haze as not
\nonly causing them physical discomfort but also upsetting the
\nroutine in their daily activities. Factories and construction
\nsites have been ordered to stop work. The government wants fewer
\ncars on the roads so as to minimize air pollution caused by fumes
\nfrom their exhaust pipes in traffic congested areas.<\/p>\n
Civil servants have been advised to stay at home in badly-
\naffected areas such as Sarawak. Schools in the East Malaysian
\nstate, where an emergency was earlier declared, have been forced
\nto close as well as regional airports.<\/p>\n
With the cancellation of flights, the tourism industry in
\nMalaysia and Singapore appears to have been hit badly. Tourists
\nfrom Europe and America are giving Southeast Asia, traditionally
\none of their favorite destinations, a miss until the haze clears.<\/p>\n
Rain and changing wind directions in the last few days have
\ncleared away much of the haze, especially in Sarawak, whose
\ncapital, Kuching was declared a danger zone because its Air
\nPollution Index had at one stage breached the hazardous level of
\n800. Some of the affected schools have reopened with the
\nemergency lifted since then, and civil servants have returned to
\nwork. On the surface of things, life seems to have returned to
\nnormal.<\/p>\n
But not quite. Malaysians on the whole regard the intermittent
\ndownpours and changing wind directions as only temporary respites
\nfor at least another month. The current spell of dry weather has
\nin fact sparked off forest fires in the state of Pahang. The
\nauthorities will now have to deploy firefighters to Pahang in
\naddition to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Malaysians continue to see the skyline of Kuala Lumpur -- with
\nits majestic tall buildings such as the Petronas Twin Towers,
\npresently the highest in the world -- shrouded in smog. Sometimes
\nthe smog disappears. At other times it lingers on. Now you see
\nit. Now you don't. It is as if the famous magician David
\nCopperfield is creating one of his illusions in the Malaysian
\ncapital.<\/p>\n
On a clear day, way up north in the state of Penang, you can
\nsee the straight line of the horizon separating the clear sky and
\nthe sea. But with the haze, the line seems to have disappeared
\nand you cannot tell the sky from the sea. Elsewhere in the
\nholiday resort of Fraser's Hill, vacationers are breathing in
\ndust particles caused by the haze instead of the fresh, cool
\nmountain air.<\/p>\n
Malaysians on the whole are a patient lot. They are waiting
\nfor the annual monsoon season to come next month when the heavy
\nrains are expected to clear away the haze.<\/p>\n
The haze will have run its full course by then. But its impact
\nor rather its adverse effects on the country have left many
\nMalaysians wondering. The haze is not a one of a kind of thing.
\nIt is in fact a recurring event, rearing its ugly head during the
\ndry season year after year.<\/p>\n
Malaysians have traced the cause of the haze to the forest
\nfires in Indonesia, or more specifically to the rampant burning
\nof forests to clear the land for development. But Malaysians
\nthemselves are equally to blame for making the haze worse. Many
\nfactories are still emitting industrial waste, too many cars are
\nstill on the road and construction and pilling are still going
\non.<\/p>\n
All of these despite an appeal from Prime Minister Mahathir
\nMohammad who lamented the lack of cooperation from the very
\npeople who are blaming the government for not doing enough to
\nalleviate their discomfort.<\/p>\n
Malaysia will need to work closely with Indonesia regarding
\nhow to prevent forest fires from spreading widely during the dry
\nseason. Malaysians themselves will also have to heed the
\ndirectives from the government for self-restraining measures to
\ncurb pollution.<\/p>\n
The more so when Malaysia will host an important sporting
\nevent like the Commonwealth Games at about the same time next
\nyear. Should the haze blow in and be allowed to hang around in
\nthese parts again, the games are bound to be affected.<\/p>\n
Not only would Malaysia fail to enhance its international
\nimage among many Third World countries which are members of the
\nCommonwealth, it would also lose much economically as the games
\nare expected to have big financial spin-offs for the people.<\/p>\n
The stakes are too high for Malaysia to be oblivious to the
\nharmful effects of the haze.<\/p>\n
The writer is a free-lance journalist based in Singapore.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/malaysia-copes-with-haze-from-indonesia-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }