Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said that Indonesia has not broken any law for them to be taken to task over the current smog situation affecting Malaysia and Singapore.
Answering a question from a participant at a peace forum in Malacca today on what action can be taken against Indonesia for the poor air quality that has persisted for over two decades, the former prime minister pointed out that Indonesia has not broken any laws.
"Currently there are no laws to stop a country from polluting the air of a neighbouring country.
"It also happens in Japan due to the haze from mainland China, and also Hong Kong, due to the factories from Shenzhen in China.
"So it depends on the conscience of these people, if they realise what they are doing is wrong, then we can get somewhere," he said.
Dr Mahathir suggested that Malaysia can take its own initiative, saying that during the long weekend, the air in Kuala Lumpur was noticeably clearer as there were fewer vehicles on the road.
"We often have four days of holiday, in Malaysia we don't have to work too hard, we get money for free, so during this time, the air is clear.
"Our motor vehicles are also a source of pollution, so we should have vehicles that do not emit too much carbon dioxide," he added.He said while local car manufacturers were working on producing cars that were on par with European standards on emissions, it was still a work in progress.
As such, he said for now, the government can impose a regulation that all imported cars must be of Euro standards, adding that will account for 50% of the vehicles on Malaysian roads today.
"In the meantime, Proton, Perodua must begin to produce cars which reach European emission standards, then we can do something ourselves about the haze.
"While we are unhappy about what Indonesia is doing, they are going to choke to death first because most of the smoke is aspirated by them," he added, drawing laughter from the crowd. – September 26, 2015.
THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER
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