The curious case of hazy days

This year has beyond a doubt proven to be a very tumultuous year for Malaysia. It has been a prolonged view of grey skies, both figuratively and literally, as we attempt to regain a sense of optimism that some justice will eventually be served and perhaps – this nation may not remain suffocated as it has been for a while now.

I find myself plagued with more and more frustration. Not just out of the political fatigue from observing the current state of governance, but it must because I keep inhaling and exhaling air that is not even safe for breathing.

It is not as romantic as I thought it would be when The Platters sang that age-old hit "When Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" (Okay, it is getting pretty obvious that the smoke is getting to my brain as well).

One cannot deny that the inconvenient truth about the ritualism of the Southeast Asian haze is an unfortunate causality of complex Malaysian-Indonesian diplomatic relations.

Apparently, getting to the point about solving this issue once and for all is not as simple as imposing strict regulation on companies responsible for the open burnings.

There are also economic and political factors at stake because of the nature of these businesses, especially when it has a lot to do with the profitable palm oil industry.

The fires are a cost-efficient method of clearing land, but really – at what costs when it jeopardises the very same environment that we depend on?

Since the haze fiasco that has been ongoing, it has already slowed down the activity of our rather slow economy as well. Airports are closing, schools shutting down, people are calling in sick and staying indoors – yet for some strange reason, none of this seems to be an issue.

It is most definitely convincing that the style of leadership in this country is such that "Maybe if we pretend it isn't there, it will go away!"

However, it is indeed still peculiar and somewhat short sighted that environmental sustainability still remains an unpopular goal for governments to place emphasis on in striving for economic progress.

One of the greatest fallacies of the world is that the focus on greener living is something that only developed countries are working on, mostly on the basis that they can afford it or simply because they have achieved everything else that they have the time to be "go-green hippies".

Ignorance

Much of the scandalising of environmental activism stems from this incessant belief that it belongs to those who have been left out at the tail of economic liberation.

Sadly, this ignorance is not rare, and is also the resulting perversion of what we once aspired to be "free and fair competition" in our markets.

In the book, "This Changes Everything", acclaimed writer Naomi Klein penned, "The market fundamentalism has from the very first moment, systematically sabotaged our collective response to climate change.

"From that view, the most obvious climate responses seemed politically heretical, so large parts of the environmental movement tried to adapt to it; they compromised and teamed up with business. They tried to make the square peg of the climate crisis fit into the round hole of deregulated capitalism."

Almost everyone knows about what happened in the Nigerian Delta, that made the country an attractive land to pump out the black gold that crude oil is in the global market today.

Due to the oil and gas company Shell's lack of due diligence, tons of oil has spilled into the Delta on an annual basis so much so it has poisoned the very essence of livelihood for the locals.

An apology from one leader to another is not going to fix the situation either (so, thanks for nothing Jokowi).

What we desperately need is a tougher crackdown on environmental crimes that is borne out of a passion for humanity's existence – such regulation and its enforcement would do much good in this situation.

In order for the realisation of this goal, we need to establish a common culture of environmental awareness but this can only be achieved when climate change is not treated as an element that induces diplomatic tensions, but rather a unifying one.

The climate crisis that is building up today ought to be a collective consensus for nations to tackle, as fostering global goodwill and morality against the vagaries of international corporate exploitation.

Contrary to popular belief, this should not be considered as an affront to economic liberation but instead an elevation of our own dignity, and value for human life on Earth.

Managing  basic resources

In addition to that, we cannot only shift the blame to those in power. Members of civil society have a part to play as well.

We need to ask ourselves, what we have done to ensure our world is one that is promising for the future generation, and how have we led our lives in such a way it promotes high standards of quality.

All of this boils down to the habits we practice, such as recycling and managing basic resources like food wastage and what not.

That is the thing about fighting for democratic practice, we need to inculcate a certain set of values and principles and create a consciousness of them if we wish to put an end to choking on our own ignorance, or perhaps that there is a chance we might all become Martians in the near future.

As for these hazy days, it calls for a global intervention in being more aggressive about efficiency in management even if it threatens corporate hegemonic forces.

Funnily, I recalled complaining, "Haiyo, these politicians always seem to politicise everything. Be it, race or religion... even your sex life. Next thing you know, they are going to politicize the air we breathe!" – I looked up to the grey sky, gasping at my own revelation. – October 8, 2015.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.