PUTRAJAYA, Aug 26 — The government is reviewing the scale and location of this year’s National Day celebrations amid the haze affecting several parts of the country, but cancellation is not being considered at this stage, Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said today.
He said the Cabinet had been briefed by the Malaysian Meteorological Department on the haze situation, including in Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur, as well as Sarawak, which has been significantly affected.
“We will not cancel the event, but the scale may be changed or the location may be changed,” Fahmi said in his weekly post-Cabinet press conference here.
He said Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar would chair a meeting this afternoon with relevant agencies to assess the situation and determine the appropriate measures for the celebrations.
The meeting will involve the Communications Ministry, Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry, Meteorological Department, Education Ministry and Health Ministry, among other agencies.
Fahmi said the government would assess weather forecasts and projections for the next five to six days, including the expected haze conditions, before making a decision.
The review will cover the National Day celebrations scheduled for August 31 at Dataran Putrajaya, as well as the National Day Eve programme on August 30 at Dataran Merdeka, organised by Kuala Lumpur City Hall and banking giant CIMB.
He said the decision would take into account the safety and health of both visitors and participants.
Fahmi added that the Education and Health Ministries would also be consulted as the National Day celebrations involve about 1,500 secondary school students from three states participating in the human graphic formation.
The final decision on the events is expected to be made following the meeting chaired by Shamsul later today.
Yesterday, Putrajaya recorded 156 in the Air Pollutant Index (API).
Under national environmental standards, an API reading between 101 and 200 is officially classified as “Unhealthy”.
Date: 26 August, 2026 4:00 pm
Source: Malay Mail
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