KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 ― The annual August 31 Merdeka Day parade in the national capital will go on as planned, Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Salleh Said Keruak said today, unless the current haze enveloping Malaysia’s west coast worsens.

“We have not reached that stage yet. If it remains the way it is now, it is at normal levels,” he told reporters after launching tech conference KL Converge! 2015 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre here.

He said that preparations for the parade were well on the way with a full rehearsal to be carried out on Saturday.

He reiterated that the police have disallowed the Bersih 4 rally from taking place on the same day of the rehearsal at Dataran Merdeka, where the National Day celebration is held annually.

“As far as I am concerned, they can find other days or other places to do it. You must remember about the security of the people.”

“It is not only the security of the protestors, but how about the security of the people who want to celebrate?” he added.

Winds have been blowing the smoke from open fires across Indonesia’s Sumatra island towards peninsular Malaysia for the past few days, enveloping the entire west coast in a thick, soupy like atmosphere.

However, Malaysia’s Department of Environment recorded the air pollutant index reading in several spots in the central region at moderate levels as at 11am today, including Batu Muda, Kuala Lumpur (69), Cheras (62) and Putrajaya (69).