Sarawak bishop questions why East Malaysian children had to endure toxic haze under stricter API 200 rule

KUCHING, Oct 9 — The Ministry of Education’s (MoE) decision to lower the Air Pollutant Index (API) threshold for school closures from 200 to 180 has exposed a “glaring and unacceptable double standard”, said the Rt Rev Datuk Danald Jute.

While welcoming the measure, the Sarawak Anglican Mission Schools Board of Management president expressed frustration over its timing, noting that the revision was introduced only after haze conditions began affecting Peninsular Malaysia, despite East Malaysia having endured severe toxic haze under the previous threshold.

“For many months now, children, teachers, and staff across East Malaysia were forced to endure severe, toxic haze under a strict API 200 threshold,” he said in statement.

“Therefore, this reduction to 180, introduced only now as haze conditions impact Malaya, demands answers: Why were East Malaysian lungs subjected to a higher tolerance for toxic air? Why are strict health protections prioritised only when Malaya is affected?” he questioned.

Danald, who is also Anglican Bishop of Sarawak and Brunei, emphasised that authorities hold a sacred duty to safeguard the health and safety of every child regardless of geography.

“They all deserve the exact same protection, regardless of whether they are in Kuching, Miri, Kota Kinabalu, Johor, or Kuala Lumpur — regardless of which side of the South China Sea they call home,” he stressed.

He added that delayed empathy and geographic double standards serve to undermine true national unity and transparent governance.

To address this, Danald – as president of the board overseeing 50 mission schools in Sarawak – urged Education Minister Datuk Seri Fadhlina Sidek, MoE, and the federal government to align public health and safety policies strictly with scientific standards rather than regional convenience.

On Thursday, the Education Ministry ordered all its educational institutions in areas recording API readings above 180 to close from Friday, following a decree from His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, amid worsening haze conditions.

Education director-general Datuk Dr Mohd Azam Ahmad said educational institutions in areas recording API readings above 150 for three consecutive days would also close from Monday.

Affected schools were instructed to implement home-based teaching and learning, while teachers and support staff were allowed to work from home throughout the closure period.

The ministry also directed state education departments, district education offices, and institutions under its purview to continuously monitor API readings and take appropriate action when the stipulated thresholds were exceeded.

The measures followed the King’s expression of concern over schoolchildren’s health and safety, including his advice that schools in areas experiencing prolonged API readings between 150 and 180 be closed. — The Borneo Post