Greenpeace has urged the Malaysian government to draft a Clean Air Act aimed at holding local individuals and companies accountable if they contribute to haze pollution abroad.

The call came amid a recent move by Singapore’s Parliament to toughen its anti-haze law with arrest powers, bigger fines, and potential restrictions on companies linked to transboundary air pollution from wildfires.

The proposed amendments, meant to empower the city-state’s Transboundary Haze Pollution Act 2014, followed heightened concern from neighbouring countries over unhealthy air quality due to intense haze from fires in Indonesia’s Sumatra and Borneo.

Acknowledging Malaysia’s insistence on tackling haze-related issues via diplomatic channels, Greenpeace Malaysia’s interim representative Heng Kiah Chun argued that such an approach can work hand-in-hand with improved legislative measures.