A Case of Malaysian Logic 101

It’s that time of the year again.

As Kuala Lumpur disappears in a shroud of haze, it is time to revisit Malaysian Logic 101.

It is a great mystery as to why there is the annual haze in Malaysia. Is it caused by peat fires in Selangor, those angry Indonesians burning Sumatra or have the “hungry ghosts” demanded too much offerings?

Whatever the cause, the API (Air Pollution Index) is deemed an official secret in Malaysia. Eight years ago, they decided that publishing the API would allow the foreign press to exploit this weakness to scare away foreign tourists. This means that if you look out your window and make a right guess of the API, the government can persecute you to find the source of your information.

However if you think you don’t want to put your life and security in the hands of the Tourism Minister, you need to know the API. In Singapore, they use the API to advise people on what to do. Just do a "google" on API and you will receive more than 2 million articles.You can learn more about API here.
This is important information for the sickly and those who participate in outdoor activities.

Do you reckon Malaysia should also ban news reports and photos of the existing haze? Maybe they should just decree that the air pollution is non-existent but we are just seeing low-lying clouds.
Anyone telling stories about API will be deemed a security risk.

BTW, the API is Johor Baru today is about 50.