[ Laman Ehwal Semasa ReformIS ]
Date: 07 Aug 1999
Time: 07:12:05
Remote User: -
Malaysia's move to halt haze disclosure spark ire
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 6 (AFP) - Malaysia's opposition and environmental groups Friday slammed a government decision not to reveal air pollution levels as haze returns to the region. Opposition lawmaker Lim Kit Siang said the cabinet's decision to "put the lid of official secrets" on air pollution index readings reflected a lack of seriousness to transform Malaysia into an information society.
"It is downright ridiculous and unbelievable at a time when the government is trying to push Malaysia into the information technology frontier of an information society," Lim said in a statement.
"This decision is also completely indefensible when warnings are being sounded in Indonesia that the haze disaster this time around could be as catastrophic as two years ago in 1997."
Government officials earlier this week explained the decision not to release figures saying they did not want to "drive away the tourists".
The World Wide Fund for Nature also called on the government Friday to revise its decision, noting that neighbouring Singapore was still releasing its daily pollutant standard index (PSI) readings to the public.
"Are Malaysians expected to read Singapore's PSI in order to gauge the air quality in our own country?" spokesperson Teoh Teik Hoong was cited as saying in The Star daily.
Malaysian Nature Society chief executive Low Hin Yang reportedly said the public has the right to information on the haze situation, and warned that the concealment of the readings might "scare away tourists."
The government earlier in the week ordered authorities to be prepared to activate a national haze action plan amid signs of smog returning in a dry spell over the next few weeks.
Meteorological officials said most parts of Kuala Lumpur were hazy, and this was likely to linger for several days as south-westerly winds brought smoke from Indonesian fires towards Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
Fires in Sumatra and Borneo covered much of the region with a choking haze for months in 1997 and to a lesser extent in 1998, causing extensive health and traffic problems.