'It's not right to say this': Shanmugam rebukes Indonesian official's 'oxygen' remark

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 on Monday (Oct 19), 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 (Oct 15), 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."

khooyihang@asiaone.com

新加坡高级部长尚穆根对一位印尼官员关于新加坡氧气“来自[他们的]森林”的言论表示不满，称在印尼企业违反法规导致该地区遭受雾霾困扰之际，发表这样的言论是“不恰当的”。

周一（10月19日），国家安全统筹部长兼内政部长在一次家访中表示：“坦白地说，当整个地区都因印尼企业违反法规的不良行为而遭受损失时，说这样的话是不合适的。而受害最深的正是印尼人民自己。”

他的言论似乎否定了这样一种观点：新加坡应该仅仅因为印尼的森林也对该地区空气质量有所贡献，就不得不忍受雾霾。

尚穆根表示，新加坡人对日益恶化的雾霾情况深感沮丧，这种情况影响了公众健康，而且完全可以避免。

他重申了总理黄循财上周四（10 月 15 日）的声明，黄循财总理当时表示，如有必要，新加坡将根据新加坡《跨境烟霾污染法》对造成烟霾的公司采取法律行动。

“雾霾严重影响了我们的健康……这真的令人无法接受，”尚穆根说道。

他还补充说，他不认为这位印尼官员的观点得到了印尼政府其他官员或广大公众的认同。

“我们不应该忍受这种焚烧造成的烟雾，”他补充道，“这完全是可以避免的。”

“我们还必须明确责任归属，”尚穆根说，并补充说，雾霾不仅仅是自然现象，而是企业追求利润所造成的问题。

针对有人提出对与雾霾有关的公司采取法律行动可能会产生外交影响，尚穆根表示，新加坡人民正在遭受苦难，新加坡不能袖手旁观。

“这些专家认为我们应该怎么做？在采取任何行动保护我们自己的人民之前，我们应该瑟瑟发抖吗？这不是新加坡的做法。”

“如果我们那样想，就不会有新加坡了，我们认为也不应该存在任何双边问题。”

他还补充说，印尼民众也深受雾霾之苦，追究造成火灾的公司的责任，既符合印尼的利益，也符合新加坡的利益。

“印尼民众也深受其害，处理造成这些问题的公司符合印尼的利益，也符合我们的利益。”

尚穆根表示，新加坡对被认为应对火灾负责的公司采取的行动，与印尼总统普拉博沃·苏比安托领导的政府宣布的总体政策相一致。

他还对印尼总统普拉博沃及其政府为解决雾霾问题所做的努力表示欢迎，并重点介绍了已经采取的几项措施。

这些措施包括更换负责消防和救灾的机构负责人，指示禁止在泥炭地上进行刀耕火种的做法，并将防火作为长期解决方案的优先事项。

“其中一些举措是史无前例的。它们展现了普拉博沃总统及其政府的方针和思路，”SM Shanmugam说道。

“我们也欢迎普拉博沃总统批准外国援助抗击火灾。新加坡已表示愿意提供援助，我们将尽己所能提供支持。”

“事实上，我们希望在追究这些公司的责任方面得到印尼的全力配合；同样，我们也已表示，只要需要，我们将全力协助扑灭火灾。”

khooyihang@asiaone.com