This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on October 5, 2015.

KUALA LUMPUR: It is not wrong to adopt Singapore’s method in reading the air quality, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said yesterday, adding that egos must be set aside as the situation caused by forest fires worsened.

“We could get the new equipment. But until we implement the reading with the new equipment, we can at least follow their (Singapore) guidelines,” he told reporters after an event at the al-Hijrah TV station in Kuala Lumpur.

“If the neighbours have better technology, we should use it. There is no need for egos in matters such as this.”

Many countries including Singapore and Indonesia measure particulate matter of 2.5 microns, but Malaysia still measures particulate matter of 10 microns.

Different levels of reading led to the suggestion that Malaysia was watering down its air

pollutant index (API), a claim that the government has denied.

Ahmad Zahid said “long-term solutions” are needed with

Indonesia, the source of the smoke from forest fires.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said that Malaysia’s API is in line with guidelines of the World Health Organization. — The Malaysian Insider