SINGAPORE, Oct 19 — Senior Minister K Shanmugam has taken issue with an Indonesian official’s remarks that Singapore’s oxygen “comes from [their] forests”, saying it was “not right” to make such comments while the region was suffering from haze caused by companies breaching regulations in Indonesia.

Speaking at a doorstop today, the coordinating minister for national security and minister for home affairs said: “Frankly, it is not right to say this when this entire region is suffering as a result of the bad behaviour of companies breaching regulations in Indonesia. And the people suffering the most are Indonesians themselves.”

His remarks appeared to reject any suggestion that Singapore should have to tolerate the haze simply because Indonesia’s forests also contribute to the region’s air quality.

Shanmugam said Singaporeans were deeply frustrated by the worsening haze situation, which was affecting public health and was entirely preventable.

He reiterated Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s statement last Thursday, where PM Wong shared that Singapore would — if necessary — take legal action under Singapore’s Transboundary Haze Pollution Act against companies contributing to haze.

“The haze is affecting our health seriously… It is really unacceptable,” Shanmugam said.

He added that he did not believe the Indonesian official’s view was shared by many others in the Indonesian government or the broader public.

“We shouldn’t have to put up with this - the smog as a result of the burning,” he added. “It is entirely preventable.”

“We must also be clear about where responsibility for this lies,” Shanmugam said, adding that the haze was not simply an act of nature, but a problem driven by companies pursuing profits.

Responding to suggestions that legal action against companies linked to the haze could have diplomatic implications, Shanmugam said Singapore could not afford to hold back when its people were suffering.

“What do these experts think we are supposed to do? Shiver in our shoes before we take any action to protect our own people? That’s not the Singapore approach.

“If we think like that, there will be no Singapore, and we do not think there should be any bilateral issues.”

He added that the Indonesian public was also suffering from the haze, and that it was in Indonesia’s interests as much as Singapore’s to deal with the companies responsible for the fires.

“The Indonesian public is suffering as well, and it is in Indonesia’s interests as much as ours to deal with the companies that are causing these problems.”

Shanmugam said Singapore’s actions against companies believed to be responsible for the fires were aligned with the broad policies announced by the Indonesian administration under President Prabowo Subianto.

He also welcomed efforts by Indonesian President Prabowo and his administration to tackle the haze, highlighting several measures that have already been taken.

These include replacing the head of the agency overseeing firefighting and disaster relief, directing that slash-and-burn practices on peatland be prohibited, and prioritising fire prevention as a long-term solution.

“Some of these steps are quite unprecedented. They show what President Prabowo and his administration’s approach and thinking are,” SM Shanmugam said.

“We also welcome President Prabowo’s approval of foreign assistance to combat the fires. We, Singapore, have offered our assistance, and we will do our part to support.

“In fact, we hope to get full cooperation from Indonesia in going after the companies, and likewise, we have also offered our full cooperation in assisting to put out the fires, insofar as our assistance is required.” — AsiaOne