Adenan and DOE must end their bureaucratic red tape and sheer laziness in not giving the people prompt and regular  updates of API, particularly a daily 7 am report

Media Statement
by Lim Kit Siang  

(Penang, Saturday): Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday expressed the  hopes that  Indonesia can clear its bureaucratic red tape to enable Malaysia to immediately despatch its mission to contain the raging forest fires in Sumatra, which are currently shrouding many parts of Malaysia.

But when will the Natural Resources and Environment Minister, Datuk Seri Adenan Satem and the Department of Environment (DOE) end their bureaucratic red tape and sheer laziness in not giving the people prompt and regular updates of Air Pollutant Index (API), particularly a daily 7 am report?

I have received complaints from the people in Perak  and Penang why they could not be informed of the API in their areas first thing in the morning, as air pollution had significantly taken a turn for the worse overnight particularly in Penang.

Utusan Malaysia and Sin Chew Daily are  publishing the 11 am, 3 pm and 5pm API readings, or three readings in six hours from 11 am to 5 p.m.  Is there any reason why Malaysians should be kept in the dark about the API readings for 18 hours from 5 p.m. to 11 a.m. and could not be informed of the 7 am API reading first thing in the morning through radio, television and Internet?

There can only be one reason why the 7 am API reading could not be made available to the Malaysian public first thing each morning through radio, television and Internet – sheer laziness!

Adenan must end such bureaucratic red tape and sheer laziness in not providing hourly API reading from 7 am to 7 pm, or at least the 7 am API reading through radio, television and Internet or he must bear full responsibility for such bureaucratic red tape and sheer laziness in his Ministry.

(13/08/2005)