PUTRAJAYA: The Natural Resources and Environment Sustainability Ministry will present a policy paper on transboundary haze solutions to the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Environment, Science and Plantation.
This is to ensure that appropriate preventive measures are taken to address haze issues in the country.
Its minister, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, said once the paper received the nod from members of parliament from both sides, it would be presented to the cabinet for approval and implementation.
"The ministry remains committed to addressing transboundary haze issues (in the country). Therefore, the town hall session aims to gather suggestions and viewpoints on various aspects of dealing with the issue.
"Following this, the ministry will thoroughly discuss the findings (of the discussion) involving all stakeholders in preparing the policy paper.
"This will be presented to the Parliament Special Committee on Environment, Science and Plantation, where solutions gained (from MPs) will be presented to the cabinet for approval," he told reporters after the ministry's transboundary haze solution town hall session with stakeholders yesterday.
On when the paper would be presented, Nik Nazmi said his ministry was targeting the first half of next year.
At the same time, he said, the ministry had also conducted meetings with Bursa Malaysia, the Plantation and Commodities Ministry and the Foreign Ministry to discuss the reporting mechanism for Malaysian-owned plantation companies
and related Malaysian companies operating abroad.
This would ensure that appropriate preventive measures were taken against field and premises fires, he added.
"Malaysian-owned plantation companies as well as related Malaysian companies operating in the country and in Indonesia have also been reminded to continuously take preventive measures to avoid field and peat forest fires that are a major contributor to haze incidents."
Nik Nazmi said the government was also open to considering the retabling of the Transboundary Haze Act (THA), which was intended to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat last month.
However, the ministry would look into the matter carefully before deciding whether to proceed with the legislation.
"All options are open (to revisit the THA enactment). We will look into it carefully as any legislation involves a lot of work, time and manpower.
"Therefore, we want to have meaningful legislation, where whatever that we put on the table must be fully effective. (And) this is why we need to look at it again in depth."
Last month, the government decided against the tabling of the THA, which aimed to take action against Malaysian companies or individuals that caused haze in the country, regardless of where the burning occurred.
Nik Nazmi said the decision was made after taking into account feedback from the Attorney-General's Chambers and the views of legal experts on the difficulties in prosecution.
He added that to enforce the THA, clear evidence that the haze originated from neighbouring countries must be supported by sufficient data, including location maps, coordinates, land-owner information, as well as the operating areas, which involved confidentiality, national security and sovereignty.
He also said it was difficult to obtain information about Malaysian companies operating in foreign countries as the majority of the equity was held by residents of the host country.
