AS the situation with the haze deteriorates, Malaysians will have many more reasons to point a blaming index finger at our neighbour, Indonesia.
But a timely video post on X reminds us that Malaysians need to reflect on ourselves too.
In the video, a massive forest fire could be seen burning across a swath of land. Viewers would easily mistake this for Kalimantan, but shockingly, this is no other than Pengerang, Johor.
According to media portals, the forest fire covered 17 hectares in Bukit Pelali, breaking out behind a Chinese cemetery at about 5pm.
The blaze involved the lalang across two sectors measuring 13ha and 4ha respectively.
Pray for Pengerang..pengerang terlalu panas ya..tak hujan..🥲
Cc: ciklala91 pic.twitter.com/HAE1XxOBcv
— Kasturi (@kasturi2u) September 7, 2026
Netizens have since responded to the video post, pointing out that this was karma coming back to haunt Malaysians for blaming the haze on Indonesia.
@CharlesT777 added that this was because Johor keeps Israeli goods, whatever he meant by them.
Among the comments, the most coherent one probably came from @Chitosiii who claimed the area always experienced forest fires.
So it seems that the fire has nothing to do with karma or Israeli items after all.
Returning to news reports, The Sun claimed around 40% to 60% of the fire has been brought under control as damping-down operations continue.
Sebana Cove Fire and Rescue station chief Umar Hafiz Roslee Amir said strong winds, spot fires and forest terrain made firefighting difficult.
Firefighters are using a direct-attack strategy to tackle the fire. For the larger 13ha sector, the operation involves a 500ft water hose, a dividing breech, three jet pumps, a portable water pump and water drawn from an open source.
So while it is tempting to point the finger across the Straits of Malacca whenever the haze arrives, perhaps we Malaysians should check our own backyard first.
Before accusing Indonesia of sending us smoke, we might want to make sure Johor isn’t already cooking up its own haze recipe.
Maybe this Malaysia Day, we can put the pointing fingers down and save them for waving at the next firefighting helicopter instead.—Sept 8, 2026
Main image: @kasturi2u (X)
