GEORGE TOWN, JUNE 24-Putrajaya must take firm action on Malaysian-owned companies involved in slash-and-burn methods of clearing land for plantations in Sumatra, said Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.
He called on Putrajaya to verify Indonesian Environment Minister Balthasar Kambuaya’s claims that eight Malaysian-owned were contributing to the haze pollution by using the cheap but outlawed methods.
He urged the government to engage its own investigators to verify Balthasar’s claims. “If true, not just Indonesia but Malaysia too must prosecute and punish any Malaysian plantation companies which are proven to be involved in the outlawed slash-and-burn methods of clearing land.
“The government should severely and sternly punish any Malaysian companies found to be involved,” said Lim in his blog posting. Among the companies involved in the open burning was PT Tunggal Mitra Plantation, a unit of Minamas Plantation, a subsidiary of Malaysia-based Sime Darby Plantations, one of the world’s largest listed oil palm plantations.
Others were PT Adei Plantation, owned by Kepong Berhad, PT Langgam Inti Hibrida, PT Bumi Reksa Nusa Sejati, PT Udaya Loh Denawi, PT Jatim Jaya Perkasa, PT Multi Gambut Industri and PT Mustika Agro Lestari. Balthasar has said that the Riau police would probe the allegations.
Balthasar claimed that the Malaysian plantation companies have often ordered local people to burn forest or peatland near their concessions, hoping that the fire would spread onto their land.
Serious allegations Balthasar said once the fire had taken hold of their concessions, the companies shifted the blame onto the local residents as if the fire had accidentally and spread to their land. The choking smog from Sumatra has caused local Air Pollutant Index (API) to soar to a crisis level. The southern states of Peninsular have been affected badly compared with the northern states.
Schools in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Malacca and several districts in Johor, Pahang and Negeri Sembilan were ordered closed. Johor’s Muar and Ledang districts have been declared as haze emergency areas. Lim noted that Sime Darby Plantations Bhd had issued a statement vehemently denying the allegation.
He hoped the Indonesian government was not trying to divert attention from their failure to prevent open burning by Indonesian plantation companies and small-holders by pinning the blame solely on innocent Malaysian companies.
Nonetheless, he said the serious allegation must be probed given Sime Darby is a government-linked corporation (GLC) owned by the Malaysian government.
“This serious allegation can adversely damage the international reputation of not just Sime Darby but also Malaysia,” said Lim, the Bagan MP.
If Malaysian plantations companies had really carried out open burning, causing the current haze crisis, he said that they not only had destroyed the environment and forests but also the safety and health of Malaysians. “It is act of betrayal to Malaysians,” said Lim.
