After the meeting between YB Datuk Palanivel, our Environment Minister, and Balthasar Kambuaya, of Indonesia on 26-6-2013 (Wednesday), this was what YB Datuk Palanivel the GREAT has been quoted to have told the press in Indonesia:
“Malaysia has expressed the hope that government officials from both countries could work constantly in monitoring and checking the hot spots, especially during the dry season, to prevent forest and peat fires which contribute to the haze problem,” Natural Resources and Environment Minister G. Palanivel told reporters after meeting Indonesian Environment Minister Balthasar Kambuaya.”
After meeting his Indonesian counterpart in Jakarta, Mr Palanivel urged Indonesia to ratify a key South-east Asian treaty aimed at tackling the haze.
The Environment Minister has to deal with this ratification,” he said. “If they can ratify the treaty, then they can go forward.” Full report in HERE.
Such statements would have been found to be reasonable if the severe haze that was caused by the “slash and burn” in Riau Province a few days ago was the first of its kind.
Bearing in mind that this was not the first time that Malaysians had to suffer from the seasonal haze yearly, the statement of YB Palanivel was a disgrace to all Malaysians. It would have been better for him to say nothing after the meeting.
Yours truly is sure that after the 3 days of severe haze from 24-6-2013 onward, the overwhelming majority of Malaysians would expect our Minister of Environment to register our disgust to the “tidak apa attitude” of the Indonesian Government towards the “slash and burn” in the Riau Province and demand for severe actions to be taken against the culprits in the hope of preventing such haze will not be recurring.
It would appear that our Environment Minister did not have the courage to ask his Indonesians counterpart why Indonesia did not take action to sue Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) and Asian Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited (APRIL) for damages of US$225 billion for their activities of “slash and burn” of plantations and peat land in 2007, and what are the actions to be taken to stop the activities of “slash and burn” for good.burning .
The arrogance of Indonesian Minister in HERE.
