Opinion | Hey Singapore, think Southeast Asia’s haze crisis is over? Think again
- Countries in the region have largely been spared a recurrence of the haze that affected Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia in 2015
- But this is mostly luck. Only governments can put in place the fundamental changes needed for long-term solutions to such problems
Southeast Asia has largely been spared a recurrence of the haze that blanketed Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta in 2015. Good weather and better management procedures in 2018 helped prevent the Indonesian forest fires that had done so much damage three years earlier, and Indonesian officials are predicting they’ll be able to handle firespots when this year’s hazy season comes around in late June.
But most officials would admit their success has as much to do with luck as better practices. With climate change and the threat of more extreme weather, a long-term solution is needed – which in turn needs fundamental change, and governments are the only entities able of driving that.
Countries other than Indonesia have a stake as well. Malaysia has fires in Sabah and Sarawak, while Singapore is home to major commodity traders as a financial centre. Each government needs to play its part. The following is an excerpt from my recent book The Sustainable State: The Future of Government, Economy and Society:
On a clear afternoon in October 2015, I flew from Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur – a flight I had made countless times before. But something was different this time around. As the plane approached the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the scene outside my window seemed much less bright than usual, to the point where the glass appeared to be tinted. In my rush to get off the plane, I put the matter out of my mind.
