Malaysia moves Anwar’s National Day speech indoors as haze spikes

Malaysia has relocated its leader’s National Day speech to an indoor venue due to choking haze, highlighting the gravity of cross-border pollution caused by severe regional wildfires. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, scheduled to address the nation on August 30, will deliver his address from a convention center in Putrajaya instead of Kuala Lumpur’s historic Merdeka Square.

On Thursday, Kuala Lumpur briefly held the world’s worst air quality, according to IQAir, while Delhi was the second-worst, with an air quality index score of 169. The haze primarily stems from forest fires in Indonesia’s Kalimantan and Sumatra, with investigations underway to identify those responsible. The conventional parade, usually held the morning of August 31 at Merdeka Square, may be reconsidered based on input from health and meteorology officials.

The meteorological department has indicated that haze will continue to prevail in the capital until the Independence Day celebrations. Malaysia has attempted diplomatic solutions to address the transboundary haze issue, with Anwar urging regional action through ASEAN mechanisms. Anwar’s Natural Resources and Environment Minister, Arthur Joseph Kurup, mentioned Malaysia’s permission from Indonesia to cross their border airspace for cloud-seeding.

Kuching, a city in Sarawak state on the Malaysian side of Borneo, has previously been ranked the world’s most polluted. The meteorological department has cautioned that air quality in Sarawak could escalate to very unhealthy levels through August 31.