KUCHING: Putrajaya must move beyond monitoring the worsening haze and take decisive action through diplomatic and regional channels to protect Sarawakians.
Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap Yau Sin said while Sarawak should continue strengthening its fire prevention, monitoring and preparedness measures, the transboundary nature of the problem required stronger federal and ASEAN-level intervention.
“We cannot control fires across the border, nor can Sarawak negotiate directly with a foreign government.
“The federal government has the diplomatic and regional channels. It must therefore be proactive and do more,” he said in a statement today.
Yap also urged Sarawak MPs to raise the issue in Parliament and seek clear answers from Putrajaya on available resources, engagement with Indonesia and its long-term strategy for tackling recurring haze.
He also backed Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar’s recent proposal for ASEAN countries to pool firefighting resources for rapid deployment when forest and peat fires occur.
“Tun Wan Junaidi speaks from experience. His proposal for ASEAN countries to pool resources and respond rapidly to forest fires is practical and deserves serious consideration.
“The lesson is clear — we cannot wait for haze to become severe before we act,” he said.
Yap acknowledged that the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry (NRES) had engaged Indonesia and ASEAN, including efforts to strengthen preventive measures, early firefighting and coordination on cloud-seeding operations.
However, he said continued haze affecting Sarawak showed that preparedness needed to be matched by timely action.
He called on Putrajaya to intensify diplomatic engagement with Indonesia, particularly over fires and hotspots in Kalimantan, while pushing for a faster ASEAN response mechanism.
Malaysia should also strengthen real-time sharing of hotspot and fire information, ensure firefighting and cloud-seeding capabilities are ready for deployment, and provide timely support to affected communities, he said.
Yap stressed Sarawak should continue strengthening fire detection, enforcement against open burning, peatland management, public awareness and emergency preparedness.
However, international engagement remained a federal responsibility.
“Sarawak will continue to do what we can within our jurisdiction. But we cannot put out fires in another country.
“That is why the federal government must lead,” he added.
