Fahmi Reza’s Jerebu Mural Gets Covered With Grey Paint After 3 Days Of Viral Vandalism

By Quinny Tan  •  in News
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Source: @kuasasiswa on Twitter

In the past 2 years since Covid-19 took over the world, we’ve only barely noticed the lack of haze in the sky. I suppose everyone was too busy staying inside to openly burn their trash anymore.

Recently, local political graphic designer Fahmi Reza took to the streets and painted a mural indicating a haze warning.

The mural in question states “CAUTION: JEREBU IS COMING BACK” painted on a black and yellow background in typical warning sign fashion, and takes up a corner in a busy intersection placed in the local CBD. It’s hard to miss for sure.

Apparently, the mural sends a message targeted at Malaysian-owned organisations that are currently based in Indonesia who are allegedly part taking in open burning, which we all know is the source of our annual haze season.

Your Top Questions on Haze - Answered - Greenpeace Malaysia - Greenpeace Malaysia
Source: greenpeace

“As usual, every year, opening burning takes place at palm oil plantations in Indonesia, which includes Malaysian-owned companies,” Fahmi says in a TikTok video about the mural that he posted.

Not long after it’s completion, the mural had already been vandalised. In less than 24 hours, part of the mural was painted over which caused it to look confusing and random.

Don’t worry, though. It clearly didn’t phase the artist.

But they just kept coming back:

And so did he:

But last night two men were spotted at the site completely covering it up. The irony in this is that they used grey paint. That’s one way to send the message that a haze is expected soon.

In just 3 days, the mural was gone. But it things stay on the internet forever, and it’s been making its usual rounds on all platforms.

According to The Vibes, the artist confirmed that the mural was being covered up due to the fact that no prior permission was obtained to paint on the wall, which belongs to an unoccupied Wisma Megah located on Jalan Tun HS Lee in the city centre.

There are speculations about the owner of the building, and who holds the stake now. Some say that it belongs to Mammoth Empire Bhd, which is known for the construction of Empire City in Damansara, but it was sold in 2018 for RM43 million. JUICE cannot verify the authenticity of this claim.

In 2019, however, Malaysia was officially rated as the worst air-polluted country in the world. This led to netizens creating a mock campaign to ‘blow back the haze to Indonesia’ by using standing and toy fans.

So in short, expect a haze soon and stop open burning! Stay safe <3

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