PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia faces major challenges in enacting transboundary haze pollution laws, particularly in obtaining evidence and addressing sovereignty issues that could undermine its enforcement.
Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup said the proposed legislation required comprehensive scrutiny, given the jurisdictional challenges involved in enforcement and its potential implications for diplomatic relations with other countries.
"The merits of enacting such legislation have been examined from various angles to ensure it can be implemented and enforced effectively.
"The main challenge is obtaining sufficient evidence to establish the source of pollution and identify those responsible," he said at a media engagement here today.
Arthur said the evidence required included the location and coordinates of fire sites, land ownership, parties conducting activities in the affected areas and proof linking the fires to haze pollution.
However, such information was generally subject to the jurisdiction, confidentiality requirements and sovereignty of the countries concerned, making evidence gathering for enforcement purposes more difficult, he added.
He said any proposal to introduce new legislation must therefore be assessed comprehensively to ensure its provisions were practical and enforceable.
The assessment must also consider the implications for diplomatic relations with regional countries and ensure the proposed legal framework could effectively address transboundary haze pollution, he added.
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