‘Stop blame game, help Indons fight fires’

BY MERGAWATI ZULFAKAR, TheStar Online

JAKARTA: Instead of finger pointing, efforts should be made to help Indonesia put out forest fires that cause the annual haze in Malaysia and Singapore, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

With Indonesia’s offer to allow Asean member countries to help it put out fires, he said Malaysia would study whether it could send firemen and water bombers to the archipelago.

“If there are rogue companies involved, whether Malaysian or Indonesian, action must be taken,” he told Malaysian journalists after paying a courtesy call on Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono here yesterday.

Najib was commenting on Indonesian authorities who continue to blame Malaysian companies for causing the fires.

The deputy prime minister said during his meeting with Susilo, he was informed that the Indonesian government would be better prepared to deal with such fires next year.

During his meeting with Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla on Friday, Najib was told that Indonesia was preparing a framework to allow any Asean country that has the facilities to help combat fires in the republic.

Najib also said Malaysia believed Indonesia was well prepared to provide guidelines to its local authorities as a preventive measure to avoid open burning.

“Susilo admitted he had to apologise to Asean countries. I said I don’t want the president to apologise every year. We are ready to help them. We will do whatever we can.”