NGOs call Suhakam to hold public inquiry over haze problem

 

A coalition of environmental activist organisations today filed an official complaint with the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), seeking its intervention towards putting a stop to the haze problem in the country.

Dubbed as Cerah Anti-Haze Action Coalition, the group in a statement said the people's right to clean air must be protected and wants Suhakam to hold a public inquiry into the governance of domestic and transboundary haze pollution.

"As the first-ever complaint filed in Malaysia to combine environmental issues with human rights, the Cerah Anti-Haze Action coalition is advocating for a public inquiry into the gaps in the governance of domestic and transboundary haze pollution with the aspired aim of getting systemic solutions for overcoming haze pollution and protecting our right to clean air.

"In addition to reinforcing the rights of haze-impacted communities, the complaint also recommends the strengthening of domestic environmental laws and regulations, as well as strengthening human rights practices within businesses based on the United Nations framework," the statement said.

The coalition consists of more than 10 groups, including Cerah Anti-Haze, Greenpeace Malaysia, Sahabat Alam Malaysia, Stop Open Burning in Johan Setia, Klima Action Malaysia, Peka, Suaram, Global Environment Centre, Pertubuhan Alam Sekitar Sejahtera, Environmental Protection Society, Jaringan Ekologi Dan Iklim and Undi18-MyHutan.

According to the coalition's complaint, seen by Malaysiakini, they claimed that Asean leaders have been using the word 'haze' to give the wrong impression that it is a natural phenomenon.

This was when the haze pollution in the region were mainly contributed by either of these two sources: the use of fires to clear land for agricultural purposes, and non-agricultural sources including transportation and industrial and biomass burning.

The coalition claimed that there are gaps in Malaysia's legal framework that need to be addressed to solve the haze problem.

"We hope that Suhakam will convene a public inquiry to inquire into these gaps. For starters, the following are some of the most prevalent ones we observe.

"These gaps must be considered in the context of the deeply embedded patronage systems that dominate our institutional frameworks, market structures, business culture and public consciousness.

"Hence, the critical components for overcoming these gaps, which we mention in this complaint, should be applied intentionally to democratize legal accountability so that we strengthen the rule of law and the protection of and respect for human rights by the government of Malaysia and private sector actors respectively." - Mkini