What limits the effectiveness of the ASEAN Ministerial Steering Committee on haze?

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Limitations Hamper the ASEAN Ministerial Steering Committee's Effectiveness on Haze

The Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee (MSC) faces significant constraints in its capacity and willingness to effectively address the haze issue. While a compromise was reached for governments to share land concession maps, this remains contingent on leadership agreement and excludes public access. Furthermore, Indonesia has yet to ratify the ASEAN haze treaty, a decade after other member states, indicating a lack of full commitment. Past cooperation projects between Singaporean and Indonesian officials, as well as Malaysian efforts in Riau, have not been restarted or scaled up under the MSC's purview.
Lack of Commitment and Slow Progress

Indonesia's non-committal stance at recent meetings and the Singapore minister's assessment of only "slow progress" highlight the persistent challenges. The MSC has convened 15 times over the past decade, yet has been criticised for a deficit in tangible substance and political commitment. This prolonged period of limited action suggests a systemic issue rather than a temporary setback in addressing the transboundary haze pollution.
Obstacles to Map Transparency

A key impediment to effective haze management is the reluctance to make land concession maps publicly available. Indonesia's Environment Minister cited contravention of national laws as a reason for not publishing these maps, while Malaysia also withheld support, particularly as Malaysian companies have been linked to fires on Indonesian territory. The absence of accurate and official data, including these concession maps, critically undermines coordination, monitoring, and the enforcement of fire prevention legislation.
Internal Coordination Deficiencies

A fundamental problem lies in the lack of inter-agency coordination within individual countries regarding concession grants and the actions of local communities or provincial officials. Indonesia's "One Map" initiative, aimed at integrating spatial data, reportedly struggles with bureaucratic hurdles and existing laws that impede inter-agency and central-local government map sharing. The environmental ministers themselves appear unable to effectively coordinate and foster cooperation across these disparate government bodies.

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What limits the effectiveness of the ASEAN Ministerial Steering Committee on haze?

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