The Penang government today submitted a memorandum to the Indonesian consulate on the worsening haze situation in Malaysia.

Consular Affairs consul Sofiana Mufidah received the memorandum on behalf of the Indonesian government.

The Penang delegation, which comprised of state assemblypersons Cheah Kah Peng (Kebun Bunga) and Yap Soo Huey (Pulau Tikus), was led by state executive councillors Dr Afif Bahardin and Phee Boon Poh.

Afif ( photo ), who is the exco for agriculture, agro-based industry, rural development and health committee, said the state executive meeting yesterday decided to send the memorandum to the consulate.

He said the haze has brought about many negative effects on Penang and the country’s population, since it began to blur the Malaysian skyline from last month.

“The haze has a negative effect on all, especially those with respiratory problems like asthma,” Afif said, before handing the memorandum to the consulate.

“The haze had also compelled the Education Ministry to cancel classes, and interfered in other work activities in other sectors.

“The haze has a negative effect on the economy of the majority of our people," added PKR Seberang Jaya assemblyperson.

Phee, the exco for welfare, caring society and environment committee, said it is well-known that the crisis came about due to massive forest fires in Indonesia.

The burning which was actually a part of agricultural activities have grown into an uncontrolled large-scale burning in the forests, he added.

“The fact is that this happened due to the actions and greed of man,” Phee said.

He urged Indonesia to respect Principle 21 of the 1972 Stockholm Declaration which states:

“States have, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law, the sovereign right to exploit their own resources pursuant to their own environmental policies, and the responsibility to ensure that activities within their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage to the environment of other States or of areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction.”

Cherish good ties with Indonesia

Despite the haze, Phee said Penang will continue to cherish its good ties with Indonesia, a relationship which both state and country have nurtured over the years.

“However, a firm and proactive action of the Indonesian government to address the haze situation with the cooperation of countries in the region will strengthen regional ties and create a healthy and everlasting Asean community,” Phee ( photo ) said.

In an immediate response, Sofiana said her government regretted that the haze has effected Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.

She said Indonesia will continue the effort to optimise its resources to fight the haze, and has appointed the Human Rights and Political Law Ministry as the coordinator of this exercise.

“So far we have carried out activities such as water bombing (more than 80 million litres), cloud seeding by airplane, and putting off the fires on the ground by 22,000 personal from various authorities in six provinces - Riau, Jambi, South Sumetera, West, South and Central Kalimantan,” she added.

Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said it’s unfair to put any pressure on Indonesia over the haze issue, adding that President Joko Widodo has shown strong commitment to solving the problem in the long term.

The home minister also urged all parties affected by the haze problem to stop pointing fingers at each other.

To this, Afif and Phee said: "This crisis should be handled together as a nation as it affects all, there is no need to politicise it.

"We hope the government will adopt the new air pollutant index (API) measurement and give us a more accurate picture about the haze situation".