His Excellency Drs. H. Rusdiharjo,
Indonesian Ambassador To Malaysia
Indonesian Embassy,
Jalan Tun Razak,
Kuala Lumpur.                                                                                                                          BY HAND

Your Excellency,

Parts of Malaysia are now in a state of emergency not because of external threats, economic disorder or internal civil war but air pollution, a situation never contemplated by our founding fathers. This tragic state is brought about by the uncontrolled burning of forests in the swampy, remote area of Rokan Hilir on Sumatra's east coast, around 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Malaysia.

On behalf of Malaysians, the DAP wishes to demand that Indonesia pay compensation for Indonesia’s failure to prevent the annual haze disaster that has caused devastating economic losses and severely affected the health and lifestyle of Malaysians.

Whilst we appreciate the immediate apology made by the Indonesian government, mere apology is insufficient when we breathe in “poisonous” air continuously 24 hours a day exceeding the Air Pollution Index of 500, our children’s health are threatened, our children can not attend schools and we can not even go to work.

We want the Indonesian government to know that Malaysians are suffering because of the forest fires which you failed to prevent.

Having cognizance that the haze from major fires on Sumatra and Borneo islands in 1997 and 1998 made many in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand sick and caused regional economies $9 billion in damage to their farming, transport and tourism sectors, Indonesia’s failure to stop slash and burn tactics is both irresponsible and unacceptable.

We recognize that Indonesia has severe laws that impose harsh penalties, including the death penalty, on those who illegally burn forests to clear them for planting oil palm. However such penalties are ineffective without enforcement. The state of emergency in some parts of Malaysia requires us to protest in the strongest possible terms at the lack of seriousness and commitment to remove the source of hot spots in Sumatra and Borneo.

Whilst the Malaysian government has not demanded compensation out of the need to preserve good neigbourly relations, we believe that the majority of 25 million Malaysians are angry that all the rhetoric in preventing the recurrence of haze, including the setting of an ASEAN inter-regional committee on haze, are just hot air.

WE wish to demonstrate our anger at Indonesia for causing the haze to reach hazardous levels and force us to breathe “poisonous” air as well as the indifferent attitude and lack of seriousness in addressing this problem. 

WE protest in the strongest possible terms at Indonesia’ failure to prevent slash and burn of your own forests causing untold damage to our health and children’s well-being as well as the billions of ringgit in losses to our economy.

WE urge that Indonesia demonstrates its commitment to ASEAN solidarity and good neigbourliness by taking immediate steps to put out forest fires in Indonesia and Borneo, including asking for the assistance of foreign countries.

WE demand that Indonesia make full compensation to Malaysians for the losses suffered.

Yours faithfully,

LIM GUAN ENG

SECRETARY-GENERAL