{
  "id": 14410776,
  "title": "Enough is enough with the haze",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/enough-is-enough-with-the-haze",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-14T08:59:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/letters/2026/10/1555407/enough-enough-haze"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi anticipates the haze will dissipate within a fortnight, contingent on wind shifts. However, this does not signify the end of the issue. Yearly, the haze returns, impacting our well-being, disrupting schooling, damaging enterprises, and imposing financial burdens. Relying on shifting winds for a temporary respite is ineffective, as the haze will inevitably return during the upcoming dry season unless we address its root cause. Accountability is necessary to halt the haze at its origin. Identifying those responsible is imperative. If companies engage in land-clearing by fire, destruction of peatland, or allow fires to spread, their identities must be disclosed. Concealing such information serves no purpose. The Asean haze agreement was intended to rectify the situation, yet it appears ineffective. We require stringent enforcement rather than mere verbal assurances. Indonesia must accept assistance in extinguishing the fires, but this aid must be accompanied by accountability. Those at fault must be identified, investigated, and penalized. Clean air is not a benevolence; it is an inherent right. We should not be compelled to depend on favorable weather to maintain our safety. Wind may alter direction, but the smoke will persist until we halt those accountable. TAN SRI LEE LAM THYE, Chairman of the Alliance For A Safe Community, emphasizes these points in a letter to the New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd.",
  "summary": "LETTER: The Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, says it should clear in two weeks. But that just means the wind will change direction. It does not mean the problem is solved.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}