MILAN: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has urged Indonesia to take action against irresponsible companies which have contributed to the haze enveloping Malaysia and Singapore.
Voicing his concern over the haze situation in Malaysia, he said it was regrettable that irresponsible parties were still using annual ‘slash and burn’ methods to clear large tracts of land in Indonesia.
Indonesia, he said, should take action against the companies involved as their actions had affected air quality, the health of the public and economies.
“We cannot solve this on our own; we have an agreement with Indonesia and Singapore but effective action has yet to be implemented.
“If there is no cooperation, the situation will repeat itself as an annual problem,” he told reporters after attending the Expo Milano 2015 in Milan, today.
Earlier today, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had urged Indonesia to ramp up anti-haze efforts, saying that plans to tackle the issue within three years may prove “too long” to be effective.
Indonesian president Joko Widodo in an interview with the BBC on Sept 29, had called for countries to give Indonesia at least three years to deal with the forest fires, which have led to an annual bout of haze and smog blanketing the region.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tunku Jaafar had also been sent to discuss Malaysia’s concerns with his Indonesian counterparts.