Worried Najib and Rosmah may go off scot-free, civil societies call for moratorium on DNAA and acquittals until AG's dual roles split
While Malaysians often engage in internal debates about their government’s actions concerning the transboundary environmental crisis, the urgency of the current haze situation demands immediate attention within Malaysia. Malaysia now faces a pivotal moment where it must seriously consider measures to hold those responsible for this environmental catastrophe accountable, including imposing substantial financial penalties on the perpetrators.
Singapore’s persistent advocacy for such measures within Asean, exemplified by its enactment of the Haze Pollution Act, has shown that even proactive efforts might yield few prosecutions. A haze transboundary pollution act has its challenges in implementation due to inability in obtaining sovereign information from the countries where the fires originate Enacting a similar approach in Malaysia might seem politically favourable.
Rather than persisting with futile attempts to extinguish the fires entirely, Malaysia can take a more pragmatic approach by holding its oil palm plantation operators in Indonesia accountable for their actions and promoting responsible land management, particularly during fire events that result in haze in Malaysia.