As transboundary haze chokes the region, frustration in Malaysia has moved past complaints about the air quality and straight into supermarket aisles, where shoppers are targeting everyday items and demanding harsher penalties for polluters.
For 67-year-old non-governmental organisation president Hasnah A.R., the annual smoke drifting across borders from Indonesia has pushed her to break years of buying habits. She plans to stop purchasing Indonesian products like Sosro sweetened tea and Kara coconut milk once her current supplies run out, telling The Straits Times that the boycott is also a response to insulting social media remarks from Indonesian officials.
Consumer Boycotts Meet Economic Realities
Hasnah’s frustration echoes across Malaysian social media networks, where users have shared lists of Indonesian brands to avoid and suggested local alternatives. Facebook user Salbiah Ahamad sparked hundreds of comments asking about coconut milk alternatives, with many pointing toward local brands such as Saji and Rasaku. Other netizens responded to online jibes about oxygen supplies with bitter sarcasm, warning that ministers across the border might try to restrict airflow next.
Yet economists warn that broad consumer boycotts may miss the mark entirely. Economist Barjoyai Bardai noted that blanket boycotts are unlikely to resolve the recurring fires and could instead inflict financial damage on Malaysian businesses relying on Indonesian supply chains. Bilateral trade between the two nations reached US$26.6 billion, or roughly S$34 billion, in 2025. Bardai argued that a targeted approach focusing specifically on companies credibly linked to forest burning would prove far more effective.
Political figures have amplified those demands. Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman urged Malaysians in Parliament on Oct. 13 to hit responsible businesses where it hurts by cutting off institutional financing. On Oct. 21, Syed Saddiq maintained that accountability must transcend nationality, insisting that domestic firms should face punishment just as swiftly if evidence ties them to the blazes. That call drew criticism from former Indonesian trade minister Muhammad Lutfi over proposals to treat Indonesia as an outcast within ASEAN.
Chasing Accountability Through Legal and Diplomatic Channels
Moving beyond retail boycotts, legal experts point out that affected Malaysians could potentially pursue civil action in Indonesia to seek compensation, cleanup orders, or land restoration. Azam Hawari, a legal expert with environmental law organisation ClientEarth, explained that claimants would need rigorous evidence—such as expert-interpreted satellite imagery, concession maps, and medical records—to prove a direct link between a company’s operations, the resulting pollution, and personal losses.
Simultaneously, the Malaysian government is weighing stricter domestic legislation. Deputy Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh told Parliament on Oct. 21 that the administration remains open in principle to enacting a law modelled on Singapore’s Transboundary Haze Pollution Act. However, he cautioned that any local statute would require ironclad enforcement mechanisms and precise evidence identifying land coordinates, ownership, and the specific parties operating on the ground.
Legal hurdles extend to interstate diplomacy. Mohd Hazmi Mohd Rusli, an associate professor at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, noted that international law requires countries to prevent domestic activities from harming neighbours, but proving a breach and establishing direct causation remains exceptionally difficult. Taking Indonesia to the International Court of Justice requires mutual consent, leaving bilateral talks as the primary mechanism under the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.
Corporate Responses and Regional Oversight
While diplomatic frictions persist, agricultural corporations are facing direct scrutiny over hot spots detected within their estates. Plantation company TSH Resources reported 274 hot spots within its Indonesian estate boundaries between Jan. 1 and Oct. 21, responding to queries from the Singapore Exchange. The group maintained in a filing that none of the fires occurred within planted or operational areas, noting that field teams extinguished the blazes and lodged police reports.
TSH added that an August 17 fire inside an area managed by its subsidiary, Bulungan Citra Agro Persada, originated from an external community enclave. The company, which operates 36,000 hectares of planted land in Kalimantan and Sumatra, stated that vegetable oil processor Apical was satisfied with its explanation. TSH is among eight Singapore-listed agribusiness firms queried by regulators over the haze, alongside entities such as Golden Agri-Resources, Bumitama Agri, and Wilmar International.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s broader diplomatic and operational offers remain on the table. Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil confirmed that Kuala Lumpur’s offer to provide firefighting assets and conduct cloud-seeding operations under ASEAN protocols remains open, pending a full response from Jakarta. As regional bodies work toward a haze-free target by 2030, the tension between shared economic ties and the demand for corporate accountability continues to test bilateral relations.
