---
title: "‘We send oxygen’, ‘behaving like a child’: 6 quotes that fuelled the haze debate over the years"
url: "/in-a-nutshell/we-send-oxygen-behaving-child-6-quotes-fuelled-haze-debate-over-years"
published: "2026-10-14T13:25:06.000Z"
updated: "2026-10-14T13:33:57.000Z"
section: "In a Nutshell"
authors: ["Cherry Tan"]
tags: ["TNP News","In A Nutshell","haze","Indonesia","singapore","air pollution","Malaysia"]
---
# ‘We send oxygen’, ‘behaving like a child’: 6 quotes that fuelled the haze debate over the years
*Who should take the blame for the haze? Revisit six memorable quotes from Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, including some fiery diplomatic exchanges.*
As Singapore grapples with worsening haze, a remark by an Indonesian official about his country’s forests supplying oxygen to its neighbours has reignited a familiar debate.
At 3pm on Oct 14, the hourly PM2.5 reading in western Singapore surged to 288µg/m³ — entering the very high range — while 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings remained in the unhealthy range across the island. It returned to 234µg/m³ at 5pm.
Just a day earlier, Indonesia's Environment Minister Jumhur Hidayat said the country expected to extinguish its forest fires within a month, as it weighed offers of firefighting assistance from neighbouring countries.
Beyond the smoke and health concerns, the haze has also sparked some memorable diplomatic exchanges over the years.
*Stomp received photos from two contributors of The Interlace (left) and Chin Bee Road (right) blanketed in haze.*
Here are six quotes that have fuelled the debate.
## 1. ‘When there is no haze, we send oxygen’
Who said it: Syahganda Nainggolan, Indonesia’s head of government communications agency, October 2026
Background: As smoke from forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan spread across the region, Syahganda argued that Indonesia’s forests also supplied oxygen to neighbouring countries.
Additionally, he described the fires as a natural phenomenon that was “beyond human error.”
His remarks sparked sarcasm among netizens in Singapore and Malaysia who questioned the idea of receiving imported air while dealing with haze.
The comments were reported by Malay Mail on Oct 12.
## 2. ‘No country or corporation has the right to pollute the air at the expense of Singaporeans’ health and wellbeing’
Who said it: Vivian Balakrishnan, then Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, June 2013
Background: During Singapore’s severe haze crisis in June 2013, when the three-hour PSI hit 371, Dr Balakrishnan called for urgent action by Indonesia.
He said Singaporeans were understandably angry, distressed and concerned about the situation. In the same statement, he also urged members of the public to make adjustments to their daily routines to protect their health.
His remarks came as Singapore called for urgent action by Indonesia to tackle the forest fires responsible for the haze.
## 3. ‘For 11 months, they enjoyed nice air from Indonesia and never thanked us’
Who said it: Jusuf Kalla, Indonesia’s then Vice-President, March 2015
Background: During a bout of haze in 2015, Indonesian media outlet Jakarta Globe quoted Kalla suggesting that Singapore and Malaysia should appreciate the "clean air” they enjoyed from Indonesia’s forests for most of the year, rather than complain about enduring a month of haze.
“They have suffered because of the haze for one month and they get upset,” he remarked.
Kalla had also been defensive when questioned about Indonesia’s forests.
In response to calls for the country to restore its tropical forests, Kalla reportedly shot back: “Excuse me? What did you say? Do you know who damaged our forests?”
## 4. ‘Singapore should not be behaving like a child and making all this noise’
Who said it: Agung Laksono, Indonesia’s then Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare, June 2013
Background: As Singapore demanded more decisive action to extinguish forest fires in Sumatra, Laksono accused the Republic of “behaving like a child” and “making all this noise” over the haze.
His remarks, reported by Malay Mail, came as an emergency meeting between Indonesia and Singapore officials got under way.
*Agung Laksono served as Indonesia’s Coordinating Welfare Minister from 2009 to 2014.*
“This is not what the Indonesian nation wants, it is because of nature,” he added.
Later, when asked about receiving financial assistance from Singapore, Laksono reportedly said: “Unless (Singapore) wants to give us a large amount, we won’t consider accepting it.”
He added: “If it is only half a million, or one million dollars, we don’t need that. We would rather use our own national budget.”
## 5. ‘Do not keep telling the world stories just because there is smoke’
Who said it: Jero Wacik, Indonesia’s then Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources, June 2013
*Jero Wacik made these comments at the 31st ASEAN Senior Official Meeting on Energy (SOME).*
Background: Wacik urged Singapore and Malaysia not to publicise the haze, invoking the spirit of ASEAN cooperation at the 31st ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Energy (SOME).
He reportedly compared the countries to a married couple who should enjoy good times together but not tell outsiders whenever they quarrelled.
He also warned Malaysia and Singapore not to “tell stories to the world”.
His comments came as parts of Malaysia were also experiencing severe air pollution, with more than one district in Johor declaring a haze emergency after Air Pollution Index readings exceeded 750.
## 6. ‘The smog that entered Malaysia, to Kuala Lumpur, is from Sarawak’
Who said it: Siti Nurbaya Bakar, Indonesia’s then Minister of Environment and Forestry, September 2019
Background: Another diplomatic disagreement erupted in 2019 when Siti disputed claims that the haze affecting Malaysia had originated from Indonesia.
Siti’s remarks came in response to Malaysia’s then Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change, Yeo Bee Yin, who cited data showing that the haze affecting Malaysia in 2019 originated from Indonesia’s Kalimantan and Sumatra islands, where more than 1,600 hotspots had been detected.
Siti insisted the smoke reaching Kuala Lumpur had come from Sarawak and possibly West Kalimantan, pointing out that Yeo’s explanation should have been more objective.
Yeo pushed back, saying the data spoke for itself.
“Minister Siti Nurbaya should not be in denial,” she had quipped.
## Honourable mention: Singaporeans trying to blow the haze away
When diplomatic exchanges fail to clear the air, perhaps portable fans will do the trick?
As the haze persists, Singaporeans have been turning to humour to cope with the smoky skies.
Meme account @yeolo.sg shared a satirical suggestion that all Singaporeans should switch on their JisuLife fans to push the haze away.
In another tongue-in-cheek video, content creator Ryan Ang proposed that everyone point their fans in one direction — or simply use their mouths to blow the haze back.