Thanks to Najib for this bad publicity

Streats | June 25, 2004
Smog’s a state secret
Malaysia won’t declassify air pollution figures; S’pore continues releasing them

By Chua Kong Ho

SINGAPORE has no plans to make air pollution figures a state secret, unlike Malaysia which yesterday announced it would continue to keep them classified.

Malaysia said distorted foreign media reports on air pollution would drive tourists away and affect the economy.

Singapore, on the other hand, will continue to put out additional information and health advisories when it is affected by smoke haze.

Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said distorted reports on the PSI (Pollutant Standards Index) readings might keep tourists away if they knew how much smog from neighbouring Indonesia was blanketing parts of the country.

According to state news agency Bernama, he said: “It will be a problem (if it is declassified) since it will get distorted by the international media.

“They will then give a grim picture of Malaysia, and that is the concern we have. It could be overplayed and it will have an adverse effect on the economy.”

Malaysia classified the air pollution index as an official secret in 1997 at the height of the haze crisis.

It now only refers to air quality as good, moderate, unhealthy or hazardous.

Singapore, however, has no plans to go this way.

Said a National Environment Agency spokesman: “We publish 24-hour PSI readings in the media and NEA website daily. When we are affected by smoke haze, we publish additional information such as three-hour PSI readings and health advisories.

“The information is intended to inform the public of the situation so that they can take the necessary precautions.”

A check of the NEA website showed that besides the PSI reading, the statutory board also publishes the readings of individual pollutants, such as sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide.

It also updates the three-hour PSI reading every hour from 7am to 7pm daily. Yesterday’s PSI reading at 5pm was 24, while intra-day readings stayed within the “good” range.

A reading of zero to 50 is considered good, 51 to 100 moderate, 101 to 200 unhealthy and 201 to 300 very unhealthy. Anything above 300 is hazardous.

With such information being withheld in Malaysia, people there won’t know exactly how bad the air they’re breathing is.

Malaysia’s opposition Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party (DAP) urged the government on Wednesday to make public the pollution index to fully minimise health hazards posed by the haze.

Said DAP chairman Lim Kit Siang: “It was a most short-sighted decision. For while Malaysians support tourist promotion to bring in tourist revenue, this cannot be at the expense of the health and welfare of the citizens or those of the tourists themselves.”

Mr Lim said that in the era of information technology, it is sheer folly for the government to pretend that it could mislead foreign tourists into believing the air in Malaysia is clean.

Veteran Singapore-based public relations practitioner Yap Boh Tiong agrees.

Said Mr Yap, a former journalist and founder of Mileage Communications: “Keeping the numbers secret isn’t going to stop the media from taking pictures and publishing them. People can see for themselves and smell the air. It’s not going to solve anything.”

Instead, the authorities should tackle the problem at the source and also be seen to be proactive in engaging the public, both local and foreign, he said.

“Tell the public what you’re doing to control the problem. You could give out masks or set up a health hotline for the public. The idea is to tell tourists that ‘we welcome you, and we’ll take care of you’.”

Drawing a parallel to the Sars situation last year, he praised Singapore’s handling of the outbreak, where the authorities were upfront and transparent about the situation and the measures taken to combat the disease.

The haze reduced visibility in the Malacca Straits yesterday to 1km from the usual 6km, heightening the risk of collision among the hundreds of seacraft plying the busy waterway.