Shelved anti-haze law in upcoming Suhakam clean air report

A transboundary haze law previously shelved by the Perikatan Nasional administration in 2020 will be among the key issues the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) raised in an upcoming report on the right to clean air.

Suhakam commissioner Mah Weng Kwai said Malaysia has been affected by the haze in the last 20 years, and one of the major hurdles preventing the country from taking action is the lack of accountability and specific law tackling the issue.

He noted that the blame is often shifted onto neighbouring countries even though Malaysia also contributes to the problem of air pollution.

"We, in Malaysia, are equally responsible because there's also slash and burn (agriculture) going on in Malaysia, so this is a problem that has to be shared equally.

"I think what has been holding us back is that, at least within Malaysia, we do not have specific laws to deal with transboundary haze pollution.

"So, I think it's time now, and we need to address this and formulate these very specific laws," Mah said, noting that the government had scrapped plans to introduce the Transboundary Haze Act.

Suhakam commissioner Mah Weng Kwai

Mah was speaking at a virtual press conference yesterday after holding two days of roundtable discussions with various stakeholders on the right to clean air and ways to address the haze problem in Malaysia.

The discussions were held after environmental and human rights groups under the Cerah Anti-Haze Action Coalition lodged a complaint to Suhakam in December last year and sought its intervention on the haze issue.

Participants at the discussion include independent health policies specialist Dr Khor Swee Kheng, lawyer and environmentalist Chee Yoke Ling, Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism director Cynthia Gabriel, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia atmospheric chemistry and air pollution professor Mohd Talib Latif, among others.

Suhakam is expected to produce a report outlining its findings and recommendations on the issue.

Draft law a 'cosmetic' solution

Previously, the Pakatan Harapan administration had indicated that it was prepared to introduce a draft law that would punish Malaysian companies if they were found to cause haze in other countries.

However, before the plans had come into fruition, PN took over the government and decided to scrap plans to introduce the new law.

Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man had described the draft law as a "cosmetic" solution and wanted to focus on cooperation with other Asean countries to tackle the problem instead.

Meanwhile, apart from the transboundary haze law, Mah said better whistleblower protection would also be raised in its upcoming reports to the government.

"While we look forward to these specific laws, I think what is important is that there should be really effective protections for whistleblowers so that when people come with complaints and so on, we address the problem (and) not victimise the messenger," he said. - Mkini