How has the haze affected your business, directly and indirectly? What needs to be done to resolve the problem once and for all?

BUSINESS wise, we are not affected by the haze. However, the haze will result in health problems for some Singaporeans. The haze problem is not something new but has been around for almost a decade. It is just that in the past few years we seem to have forgotten about it as we were not so badly affected, possibly with wind directions playing a part. The point is that this is a perennial problem which is difficult to solve as it involves different countries and has social and political implications. As such, a high-level task force comprising the health and environment ministers of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia should be formed to oversee this problem. Importantly, they must be able to implement measures enforcing legal actions on companies that practise slash and burn, installing smoke sensors at plantations and forming teams of inspectors from third countries that will monitor the haze situation. Only when the guilty parties responsible for the burning are found and penalised as well as publicly identified will this problem be solved once and for all.

- Wee Piew
CEO, HG Metal Manufacturing Ltd