Cabinet Malaysia, what say you?
“If you can guarantee the wind will not blow (in this direction), then I can guarantee it (haze) will not happen again.”*
“When we export oxygen, you don’t say anything; when we export haze, you complain.”*
“We have forests producing oxygen and bringing clean air to them but they don’t thank us. Now there’s smoke and they complain. There must be a balance.”*
This was the response of a top official, First secretary (political affairs), who goes by the single name Mudzakir at the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur after receiving a memorandum today from opposition party DAP. He received the two-page document on behalf of the Ambassador KPH Rusdihardjo and his deputy Abdul Rahman Muhamad Fachir. They were not at the embassy. (source: Malaysiakini)
* What! What! What!
PM and ministers cabinet Malaysia, will you dare to so something? Don’t just say something everyday on mainstream newspaper only. You know how worst the situation is. Warm this, warm that; talk is cheap. This problem already happen for decade.
Does is the time to bring Indonesia to the International Court since the top official at the Indonesian embassy can response it so ARROGANTLY?
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Indon embassy official annoys anti-haze group
Beh Lih Yi
Oct 10, 06 3:28pm
“If you can guarantee the wind will not blow (in this direction), then I can guarantee it (haze) will not happen again.”
This was the response of a top official at the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur after receiving a memorandum today from opposition party DAP, protesting the deteriorating air quality in Malaysia.
First secretary (political affairs), who goes by the single name Mudzakir (photo), received the two-page document on behalf of the mission from DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng. Ambassador KPH Rusdihardjo and his deputy Abdul Rahman Muhamad Fachir, were not at the embassy.
The group held a 20-minute closed-door meeting with Mudzakir, to ask for an assurance that the Indonesian government would take steps to ensure that the haze will not recur.
Mudzakir also told the annoyed group: “When we export oxygen, you don’t say anything; when we export haze, you complain.”
He appeared to have repeated similar remarks made yesterday by Indonesia’s Forestry Minister Malem Sambat Kaban.
“”We have forests producing oxygen and bringing clean air to them but they don’t thank us. Now there’s smoke and they complain. There must be a balance,” Malem was quoted by news agency Reuters.
Conveying the remarks to reporters outside the embassy later, DAP leader Lim said: “I am disappointed. I think I will have to visit the embassy again next year.”
This was in reference to the non-committal response which, he argued, would lead to recurrence of the problem.
‘Unfriendly act’
Lim urged the Indonesian government to ratify the Asean Transboundary Haze Agreement immediately. Indonesia, the main source of the haze, remains the only country yet to ratify the plan signed in June 2002 and which came into force in November the following year.
“Refusal to ratify is incomprehensible, irresponsible and an unfriendly act when (the Indonesian) government’s repeated assurances of action to prevent recurrence of the haze have been hopelessly ineffective,” he said.
Lim said Indonesia should not feel ashamed to seek help from other countries to put out the fires caused by open burning to clear land each year.
Any further delay could result in fatalities from accidents due to low visibility or because of exposure to smog among vulnerable groups including the elderly, he said.
Lim expressed anger over an accident in Negri Sembilan yesterday, where three men were killed and four people were injured due to poor visibility. The state was the worst affected by haze yesterday, with the air pollutant index reading close to the ‘very unhealthy’ level.
“Stop the killing of your own people and your neighbours now,” he said, in comments targeted at the Indonesian government.
Indonesian moves
Lim further criticised Malaysia and Asean for their “failure” to take sufficient action to compel Indonesia to ratify the regional haze agreement.
“We want to see serious and concerted efforts in handling this issue - not only are Malaysians suffering, but Indonesians as well. The Malaysian government should send a protest note to Jakarta,” he said.
Urging the government to send a stronger signal, Lim stressed that it could not sit back and merely “resort to praying” for rain to improve the air quality.
The 12-member DAP delegation comprised leaders and members including Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai and Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun.
Wearing masks, they held up a banner that read ‘Keep our skies blue! Sign now!’. A dozen police personnel kept close watch, but the protest passed without incident.
Mudzakir, when contacted by malaysiakini later, said the embassy would forward the memorandum to Jakarta today. He confirmed he had made the remarks that had annoyed the DAP delegation.
“This (haze) is not just a man-made phenomenon, but also involves natural factors. Yes, I said that if I had the power to direct the wind not to blow here, then I could give them an assurance - but I can’t, right?” he argued.
In a statement issued today, the embassy expressed concern over the situation in Malaysia and said it hoped this would return to normal as soon as possible.
It said the Indonesian government has taken several steps to reduce the hot spots, including sending over 1,000 firefighters to put out the fires and carrying out cloud-seeding.
On ratification of the Asean haze agreement, it said the issue is being debated in Parliament.
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TechTags Plugin [ haze | hazy day | hazy days | Indonesia | ASEAN | Malaysia | Singapore | Ambassador KPH Rusdihardjo | Abdul Rahman Muhamad Fachir | Mudzakir | Malaysia cabinet ]
October 10th, 2006 at 9:14 pm
No matter where they are, all the politician have the same “qualities”, one of the “qualities” is MORON!
October 10th, 2006 at 11:48 pm
A Malaysian respond, “We did not request for ‘your’ oxygen. Take it back!”
October 11th, 2006 at 8:42 pm
Anonymous, I really wish you can use your real name here. But, well said!
July 2nd, 2007 at 1:23 pm
[...] that moment, the response of a top official, First secretary (political affairs), Mudzakir at the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur was very [...]