Haze: Test in Jakarta-KL ties

Haze: Test in Jakarta-KL ties

By Paridah Abd. Samad

JAKARTA (JP): Malaysia has a very long history of bilateral
ties with Indonesia, disrupted only during a confrontation in the
mid-1960s. Gen. Soeharto was then one of the key people on the
Indonesian side to help end the confrontation.

When he became President, and with ASEAN established in 1967,
the mostly social and cultural ties between the two countries
developed another significant dimension -- economic ties. And
these have blossomed over the past 30 years.

The current haze problem in Malaysia seems to be one of the
most significant issues since the confrontation that could affect
the good relations between two neighbors. But it is very unlikely
that the relations could worsen.

With President Soeharto still strongly at the helm, and the
Malaysian people vividly remembering Soeharto's initiative to end
the confrontation, Malaysians again look upon him as the key
person to stop the suffering experienced by the population from
the forest fires.

In other words, the haze issue that could have disturbed the
relations between the two countries needs the ability and
sincerity of both countries to deal with it wisely and
diplomatically.

The fires, which have been described by the United Nations as
an "environmental emergency", have caused a choking haze which
has enveloped Malaysia and neighboring countries since July,
affecting individual health and the well-being of these
countries' economies for years to come. It has caused
inconveniences and brought about undue worry to the people.

It has been reported that the haze could cause delays for
foreign investors investing in Malaysia and postpone foreign
companies' operations until the situation clears. The haze was
also said to have caused the sinking of Vikraman, with 29 seamen
missing, after it collided with an oil tanker on Sept. 26 in the
Strait of Malacca.

Barely 27 hours after that ship sank, another collision was
reported on Sept. 28, when visibility dipped to 500 meters. None
of the 26 crew members from the Malaysian registered Rohasria oil
tanker was injured.

Heading towards unhealthy levels, the persistent haze was
sending an increased numbers of residents overseas and elsewhere
in search of clearer skies. The haze was also preventing tourists
from coming to the country.

A total of 574 flight cancellations, 203 delays, 24 diversions
and 32 forced overflights within two weeks in September, is a
heavy price for any airline to pay as far as passengers'
complaints and confidence are concerned.

Sarawak lost millions of ringgit when it was put under a state
of emergency for 10 days. At the height of the haze, Sarawak
recorded an Air Pollutant Index (API) of 839.

Tens of thousands of peoples from Malaysia have sought
treatment for skin and respiratory problems. The short-term
effects include irritation of the nose, throat and eyes, upper
respiratory infections (bronchitis and pneumonia), headaches,
nausea, allergic reactions and aggravation of medical conditions
like asthma and emphysema.

The long-term efforts include chronic lung disease, lung
cancer, heart disease, damage to the nervous system, kidneys and
liver and effects on the lungs of growing children.

A group of Japanese expatriates in Malaysia have expressed
concern about the unknown effects of the haze. Using
state-of-the-art equipment to measure the API and monitor air
quality, a study was carried out by Japanese experts on the
effects of the haze on people.

Malaysians have been made to understand that the fires, blamed
on land-clearing efforts, had been worsened by drought brought on
by the El-Nio weather phenomenon, affecting up to 800,000
hectares of land.

Initially, Malaysians were somewhat disappointed at some
Indonesian officials' rejection of the blame for the haze
blanketing the region by arguing that one of the culprits was El
Nio, which sucks moisture from the western side of the Pacific
Ocean, disrupting normal weather patterns, including prolonged
dry spells in much of the region.

Malaysian officials at the Seventh ASEAN Ministerial Meeting
on the Environment in Jakarta last month had a tough time making
their Indonesian and other ASEAN counterparts realize the
severity of the haze problem.

With the haze reaching a critical level, Malaysia was in
desperate need of proof that Indonesia was taking effective
measures to put out its forest fires. Soeharto's apology for the
problems caused by the forest fires came as a great relief to
Malaysian officials because it meant that Indonesia has accepted
responsibility. It is rare for any head of state to apologize.

Since 1990, Malaysia has strived at the regional level,
through the ASEAN Senior Officials on Environment forum, to
obtain the cooperation of ASEAN countries, especially Indonesia,
to strengthen preventive measures. As early as five years ago,
there was a proposal made to the Indonesians to have a monitoring
system to combat forest fires, in which Malaysia could
participate.

Although the Malaysian government could have informed
Indonesia about the economic losses and health problems
Malaysians have suffered as a result of the severe haze, about
the millions of ringgit the country has spent to fight the
problem, it is not pointing the finger at Indonesia.

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, instead of
exchanging insults and accusations which may lead to friction
between the two nations, has appealed for the cooperation of all
involved parties to find an amicable solution to the problem.

Initially, Malaysia was "visibly upset" because the Indonesian
authorities chose to delay the process of putting out the fires
by making Malaysian firemen wait for two weeks before being
allowed to enter the country. Eventually, Indonesia gave approval
for Sabah and Sarawak to send in their firemen to help control
the raging forest fires in Kalimantan.

In trying to understand the difficulties of Indonesian
authorities to tackle the problem, as there is no efficient
mechanism to fight the fires, Anwar clearly mentioned that
Malaysia will not seek compensation from Indonesia.

There are sections in society who have pressured the
government to ask for compensation, thinking that not enough
effort is being made by the Indonesian authorities to end this
misery. These sections are just not aware of the efforts made by
the Indonesian authorities to put out the forest fires since May
because the efforts were largely hidden and unnoticed.

Although there was a communication problem in the beginning,
the situation appears more positive now as Indonesia has taken
more effective measures to fight the fires.

Malaysia has shown its appreciation regarding Indonesian
efforts, frankness and openness to discuss the problem. Besides
suffering from its own internal damages, Indonesia has to
maintain the country's reputation and ASEAN strength.

Malaysia's rather "unusual" initiative of sending firefighters
and equipment to help put out the fires indicate the willingness
of the country to preserve the good relations with Indonesia.

Malaysia has sent a 2,000-strong fire-fighting team to battle
the fires. The Royal Malaysian Air Force has also conducted
several cloud-seeding sorties over Kalimantan.

The Meteorological Services Department and the Royal Malaysian
Air Force have carried out cloud-seeding missions almost
everyday, costing millions of ringgit.

The forest fires and haze are a real acid test to current
relations between Malaysia and Indonesia. Only wisdom and
diplomacy on both sides would avoid disrupting relations between
Malaysia and Indonesia.

The writer is a senior lecturer at MARA Institute of
Technology, Shah Alam, Malaysia. previously visiting research
fellow of the Japan Institute of International Affairs, Tokyo,
Japan.