SM Shanmugam on companies potentially linked to haze: The Government will do what's right for Singaporeans

SINGAPORE: After the meeting on Wednesday (Oct 28) with representatives of the 10 companies that may have a connection to the forest and peatwood fires in Indonesia causing this year’s severe haze problem, Senior Minister K Shanmugam said that the Government aims to do what’s right for Singaporeans.

This was said in answer to a question raised by CNA regarding the lengths that the Government will go to in order to ensure that companies with a corporate presence in Singapore do not contribute to transboundary haze, as this may cause some firms to leave the city-state.

Mr Shanmugam, who is Minister for Home Affairs and Coordinating Minister for National Security, said that the 10 companies had been told that they would have no issues if there has been no wrongdoing.

“We are now on a fact-finding mission, and if companies have been involved in wrongdoing and as a result of the investigation, they wish to leave Singapore, then I think doing right by Singaporeans means accepting that consequence,” he said, adding, “I’m sure Singaporeans will agree to that, rather than us letting the companies go on doing it.”

The Senior Minister also clarified that because the full extent of the involvement of the companies is still uncertain, he did not want it to appear that they are guilty and that they are the only firms responsible. Additional notices have also been issued to firms that have no presence in Singapore.

The point of the meeting, which lasted around half an hour, was not to find scapegoats, he added, and when he told the firms’ representatives that Singapore expects full cooperation, he was given the assurance that they will cooperate fully.

The meeting

Along with Mr Shanmugam, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu were present at the meeting, together with  Senior Counsel Davinder Singh and senior officials from the Attorney-General’s Chambers, National Environment Agency (NEA) and Ministry of Law.

They met with representatives from Bumitama Agri, First Resources, Golden Agri-Resources, Indofood Agri Resources, Kencana Agri, TSH Resources, Wilmar International and Sinar Mas Group. According to reporting from CNA, a senior adviser to Sinar Mas Group also represented Asia Pulp & Paper and Asia Pulp & Paper (China) at the meeting.  

At the next parliamentary sitting, amendments to the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act will be introduced that will make firms’ refusal to fully cooperate with government investigations or appoint assessors an offence.

This was announced by Ms Fu, who added, “We will exercise our powers to protect the health of Singaporeans. 

Even as the haze condition improves, we will not relent.” /TISG

Read also: Singaporeans urge PM Wong to do more after he announces probe into companies behind haze