PETALING JAYA: Former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today Malaysia has been “too soft” in dealing with Indonesia over the worsening haze, and urged the government to take a firmer stance.
In the latest episode of the "Keluar Sekejap" podcast, Khairy acknowledged that Malaysia must be diplomatic.
“But I think that when somebody else is choking you, you don't allow them to continue to choke you. You would at least push their hand away or punch back. That is absent here.
“I understand diplomacy, but I have just been sorely disappointed by the government because they're not willing to stand up for us,” he said.
Khairy also renewed his criticism of the Indonesian government’s “incompetence” in its handling of the environmental crisis, which he said had persisted for two months.
The former Umno Youth chief said that as Malaysia could not afford to be “ambitious” in exerting its influence on other nations, it should enact transboundary haze legislation to act against Malaysian plantation companies found to be responsible for burning down forests and causing haze.
"Plus, we have no mechanisms in Asean that can punish Indonesia," he said.
Yesterday, natural resources and environmental sustainability minister Arthur Joseph Kurup said policymakers must consider the effectiveness, diplomatic implications and burden of proof of any proposed transboundary haze law, as well as whether it could be enforced.
He said tackling transboundary haze had become more challenging because of several factors, including climate variability, long dry spells and agricultural practices.