No need for Singapore to shout: Minister

By Chua Mui Hoong

SINGAPORE has taken positive steps to help Indonesia tackle its forest fires problem and does not need to be "loud" or to "shout" about the haze, Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng said.

Speaking to reporters at a constituency function in Bishan, the former foreign minister said Singapore believed in giving practical help in line with its resources.

It had provided satellite pictures of burning areas, is helping to train Indonesians to use them and has sent some environment officers to help at the Indonesian command post in Jakarta.

"These are positive steps to take," he said. "The government of Indonesia is obviously very concerned with the problem themselves, which is why they have taken stern measures against those who have burnt forests to clear the land.

"The scale of the problem is so large that it cannot be resolved by immediate action. It will take some time.

"We hope that next year, when the same time comes, they will be better prepared for something like this."

Referring to criticism from those who feel that Singapore had done too little, too late in helping Indonesia, he noted that the fires did not happen in Singapore which had limited resources. Indonesia which has a population of 200 million people, did not lack manpower.

Like the other countries affected by thick haze blanketing the region, Singapore would work together with Indonesia to help ensure that such a problem would not arise in the future, he said.

He also believed Indonesia had learnt from this year's experience and would have more controls in place in future.

Asked if the government could have been more assertive, Mr Wong replied: "I think we have been. There are different ways of doing things."

He said that when the Asean environment ministers met in Indonesia recently, "such feelings were expressed".

"One does not need to express an opinion by being loud or by shouting.

"That's not the way to resolve problems in Asean. In Asean we have our Asean way of dealing with problems, and I'm sure the Indonesians heard the message loud and clear without us shouting about it."

He said that as the former Foreign Minister, he knew there were many things Asean countries were able to discuss and attain positive results on. But "making loud statements is not the way to resolve the problem", he added.

In his speech earlier, he said that Singapore had been affected by Indonesia's burning forests and by the currency turmoil in the region. The country could overcome these problems with strong leadership, sound policies, a stable foundation, and the hard work of the people, he said in English and Mandarin.

Speaking to reporters, he declined to comment on a statement by opposition MP Low Thia Khiang that the government should put pressure on the Indonesian government to compensate Singaporeans who had suffered from the haze.

Mr Wong said that he had not read the statement, and added: "You talk about compensation, that's an easy thing to say. But how do you compensate a nation for a haze over the sky?"