Haze: Indonesian Government Urged to Reveal Malaysian Companies Involved in Forest Fires
KUALA LUMPUR: The Coalition for Malaysian People’s Advocacy (HARAM) and Greenpeace Malaysia have urged the Indonesian government to publicly disclose the names of Malaysian companies identified as being involved in or linked to forest and peatland fires in that country.
HARAM Chairman, Brendon Gan, said such disclosure is important to enable Malaysian authorities to conduct investigations and take action against any local corporate entities linked to the fires.
“We need to know who is involved. These companies must be given a stern warning, they must be held accountable, and they should be prosecuted for the haze occurring today.
“Don’t just because these companies generate profits for Malaysia’s economy, you (the government) turn a blind eye to the welfare of the people and the community,” Brendon said when joining a peaceful demonstration in front of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia here on Friday.
Brendon added that Malaysia needs to accelerate efforts to reinstate the proposed Transboundary Haze Act from 2019 to enable action to be taken against Malaysia-based companies if proven to be linked to haze pollution abroad.
“This open burning issue is not a small problem. Children are bearing the impact, schools and businesses are closed, ultimately the economy and society are affected when a state of emergency is declared.
“Remember what happened during COVID-19, we went through the Movement Control Order (MCO), an economic crisis erupted.
“People couldn’t work, people lost their jobs, until the white flag was raised (a sign of distress).
“We don’t want such issues to recur. Let that remain history and never be reopened,” Brendon explained.
According to HARAM, as of 31 August, Indonesian authorities revealed that 19 companies holding concessions in fire-affected areas covering 11,047 hectares across seven regions are currently under investigation.
Additionally, politicians in Indonesia have also issued statements regarding the existence of Malaysian companies alleged to be contributors to the open burning.
Therefore, HARAM urges that related information and evidence, such as concession maps, hotspot data, and fire investigation results, be shared through close cooperation between the Malaysian and Indonesian governments.
This matter was emphasised through a memorandum jointly submitted by HARAM and Greenpeace Malaysia to representatives of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in the capital on Friday.
Furthermore, HARAM claimed that tangible cooperation among ASEAN countries remains insufficient, even though these nations are parties that have ratified the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.
He added that these actions are not intended to blame Indonesia, but rather as a sign of solidarity with the affected communities and to ensure that those responsible for the haze crisis are brought to justice.
Astro Awani