Ex-NMP Calvin Cheng says haze left some visitors to Singapore with a very bad impression  

SINGAPORE: In a social media post on Monday (Oct 12), former Nominated Member of Parliament Calvin Cheng wrote that a number of visitors to Singapore are leaving with “a very bad impression” of the city-state due to haze conditions that affected their health.

Mr Cheng wrote that he recently had many foreign guests who had to spend some time outdoors for events and meetings. 

Therefore, “they didn’t have the luxury of staying in to avoid the haze,” he added.

This has proven to be detrimental to their health, as he alleged that many of them are suffering from “stinging eyes” and “respiratory inflammation.”

He added, “Some first-time visitors have left with a very bad impression of Singapore.”

Mr Cheng also wrote that the government should tell Singaporeans how the Transboundary Haze Act of 2014 will be enforced. The statute criminalises conduct that contributes to haze in Singapore, allowing the authorities to take legal action against the firms that are behind it, even if they’re in other countries.

“And if it cannot be, why it can’t. And what else can we do to seek compensation as a country for damages to health and reputation,” he added.

In another post on Tuesday (Oct 13), Mr Cheng noted that the haze, which originated from forest fires in Indonesia, especially from Kalimantan and southern Sumatra, is doing damage to the health and economies not only in Indonesia but also in Malaysia and Singapore.

He noted how the particulate matter from haze is harmful to people’s health, outdoor activities are cancelled, and even personal finances are affected as people need to spend more on air-conditioning, air purifiers, or even medical bills.

Meanwhile, Syahganda Nainggolan, who heads Indonesia's Government Communications Agency, has said that the fires causing the transboundary haze are a natural phenomenon and are "beyond human error”. He also said that Indonesian forests also provide oxygen to Singapore and Malaysia when there’s no haze.

The Singapore government’s response

Last weekend, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said that Singapore stands ready to help Indonesia fight the forest fires causing the haze, and expressed appreciation toward Jumhur Hidayat, her counterpart in Indonesia.

“We stand ready to assist where we can. I’m also supporting any regional efforts to have discussions on regional cooperation on haze issues,” CNA reported her as saying. /TISG

Read also: Bilahari Kausikan questions Indonesia’s response to haze, says government can do more