JAKARTA: The transboundary haze crisis caused by uncontrolled wildfires in Indonesia has triggered a fresh public dispute between Indonesian officials and politicians and their counterparts from Malaysia and Singapore over responsibility for the blazes and the role of foreign corporate interests.
For weeks, forest and peatland fires have continued to ravage large parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan amid an unusually severe El Niño-driven dry season, with toxic haze spreading into Singapore and Malaysia, turning what began as a domestic fire disaster into a diplomatic storm.
In a speech on Wednesday, President Prabowo Subianto took aim at unnamed countries that he said “like to insult” Indonesia over forest fires, saying that foreign companies “bear responsibility” for the crisis and that “when the time comes, we will reveal the companies involved”.
“Indonesia is a polite and patient nation. Our country is often insulted, but believe me, Indonesia will not tolerate being continually provoked,” the President said before a cabinet meeting marking his second anniversary in office.
Prabowo, whose approval ratings have plummeted to their lowest level ahead of the anniversary, said he had instructed law enforcement agencies to investigate the fires, with support from the military and intelligence services.
He described the cause of the fires as “not purely natural” and called deliberate burning “environmental terrorism”.
On Thursday, the President said authorities had found indications linking several foreign companies to the ongoing fires and vowed to revoke the permits of companies found to have violated the law, adding that Indonesians could take over the management of affected plantations.
Prabowo’s remarks came amid mounting domestic and international criticism of Indonesia’s handling of the haze crisis and spreading wildfires.
Affected Indonesians have urged the government to do more to put out the fires, while several politicians in neighbouring countries have questioned Jakarta’s response.
Among those speaking out is Malaysian lawmaker Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who has called for ASEAN nations to exert diplomatic as well as financial pressure on Indonesia over the recurring haze and called for Indonesia to be treated as an “outcast” in the region.
Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Sustainability and Environment Minister Grace Fu, meanwhile, announced plans last week to take firm legal action, issuing preventive measure notices to seven Indonesian companies strongly suspected of being responsible for the fire hotspots.
But former trade minister Muhammad Lutfi took to social media on Tuesday to hit back at Singaporean and Malaysian politicians, saying that the haze was not an opportunity for political grandstanding.
He said companies from both countries operating plantations in Indonesia should also be held accountable for the fires.
Presidential Advisory Council (Wantimpres) member Ignasius Jonan also pushed back against criticism from Singapore and Malaysia in an Instagram video, urging the two countries to cooperate with Indonesia in tackling the fires and holding companies accountable.
The dispute comes as Southeast Asian foreign ministers prepare to discuss the transboundary haze crisis at preparatory meetings before the bloc’s November summit in Manila, following calls from Malaysia for an urgent regional meeting to address the recurring problem.
Recent reports by environmental groups Greenpeace and Walhi have identified companies based in Singapore and Malaysia whose Indonesian subsidiaries or local operations are allegedly linked to areas affected by fires.
Activist Umi Ma’rufah from Walhi, however, criticised Prabowo for focusing on perceived insults against Indonesia by other countries rather than addressing his government’s responsibility for the wildfires that continue to choke Indonesians with toxic haze.
“Alleged foreign involvement must not become an excuse for the government to obscure its own responsibility,” Umi told The Jakarta Post.
She said the government must identify those responsible, both foreign-owned and domestically owned companies, and ensure they are held accountable under prevailing laws.
International relations expert Hikmahanto Juwana criticised exchanges of accusations among officials over the haze crisis, saying Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia should focus on extinguishing the fires rather than engaging in arguments that would not put out the flames.
“My question is, will these debates put out the fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra? No, they will not,” he said, urging countries to work together under the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution to tackle the fires.
