I have been breathing the haze, on and off, since I was a child. I was 14 in September 1997, when Sarawak declared a state of emergency after Kuching's air pollutant index (API) reading passed 500, and it later peaked near 800.

I was 30 in June 2013, when Muar's API hit 746. Now it is October 2026, and my son, who has asthma, is stuck indoors. Every trip outside is a risk.

On Oct 9, schools across Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Selangor, Melaka, Negri Sembilan and Johor were shut. Nothing in that timeline is new. What has run out is our patience.

For me, the "Asean Way" on dealing with regional issues has reached its limit, especially when it comes to haze. Asean signed its Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution in 2002.