KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — DAP’s Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng today urged the government to give Malaysians a special RM1,000 tax rebate to buy air purifiers, saying ordinary people are bearing the cost of a haze crisis he blamed on Indonesia.
He said the rebate should be offered if Malaysia refuses to act against Indonesia, and stressed that it should be a tax rebate, not a tax deduction.
“Presently, many air purifiers are sold out and prices have also increased due to the shortage in supply,” he said in a statement.
Lim said air purifiers could help reduce the haze’s adverse health effects on the elderly and young children, and the rebate would cover some of the unexpected extra costs burdening ordinary Malaysians.
He also accused Indonesia of being irresponsible for refusing to declare the situation a national disaster and for turning down international offers of help “when it is clear that they cannot cope”.
His remarks came after Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Dudung Abdurachman said yesterday that foreign assistance, including from Malaysia, to fight widespread forest and land fires would have to wait until Indonesia declared the situation a national disaster.
Dudung added that the Indonesian government remained confident in its ability to manage the crisis with its own resources.
Lim described the Malaysian government’s response, led by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, as “limp” and disappointing.
He said Mohamad had refused to propose an Asean Transboundary Haze Task Force with permanent staff from Asean countries ready to carry out immediate firefighting operations.
Following Indonesia’s rejection, Lim said, Mohamad had also refused to sue the Indonesian government and continued to rely on “failed diplomatic efforts”.
“Meanwhile Malaysians continue to suffer from the deteriorating haze situation with serious health issues and children not going to schools,” he said.