Smokescreen politics? Malaysians mock Indonesian official’s ‘we send oxygen’ haze defence

Malaysians have reacted with sarcasm and disbelief to an Indonesian official’s claim that his country provides the region’s oxygen, as toxic smoke from forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan chokes neighbouring nations.

Syahganda Nainggolan, head of Indonesia’s government communications agency, prompted the backlash after invoking his country’s forests when questioned on Saturday about the severe smog that has forced school closures and triggered health warnings across Malaysia and Singapore.

“We don’t just send smoke; when there is no smoke, we send oxygen,” he said in a widely circulated video published by Indonesian media outlet Kompas. “The oxygen in Singapore and Malaysia also comes from our forests.”

On social media, users questioned whether they were breathing imported air and why Malaysia’s own forests appeared to have been forgotten.

“Since when did we subscribe to oxygen from Indonesia?” one user wrote, while another asked, “So all this time I’ve been breathing imported oxygen?”

Another user wondered whether the 50 ringgit (US$12) they had would cover the cost, asking, “How do they sell the oxygen? In packets, bottles or by weight?”

Some people identifying themselves as Indonesian also criticised the remarks, apologising to their neighbours and urging commenters to distinguish officials from ordinary citizens.

“As an Indonesian, I’m deeply embarrassed by some of the reckless and irresponsible statements made by our public officials,” one user wrote.

Another wrote, “I’m Indonesian … so embarrassed to have an official like this … if you’re wrong, just apologise.”

Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on Sunday that the country had offered a firefighting aircraft, three helicopters and personnel, but was still awaiting a response to letters from its disaster agency and foreign ministry.

“We assume in good faith that perhaps they do not need our assistance,” he told local reporters.

He said any consideration of legal action would be left to the attorney general, while favouring cooperation through the regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Schools in several Malaysian states and the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya were ordered to close on Friday as air quality deteriorated.

By 10am on Monday, 23 areas nationwide recorded unhealthy air, according to Malaysian state news agency Bernama. The southern state of Johor was the worst affected, with one of its towns, Kota Tinggi, registering the highest Air Pollutant Index reading at 170.

Seven stations in Johor were in the unhealthy range, alongside areas in Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Terengganu, Melaka, Selangor and Sarawak, as well as Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. Readings from 101 to 200 are classified as unhealthy.

Singapore’s 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index ranged from 104 to 147 at 1pm on Monday, placing all five regions in the unhealthy category, AsiaOne reported.

Indonesia said bilateral discussions were continuing, with its foreign minister reporting that more than 60,000 personnel had been deployed against the fires, Malaysian state news agency Bernama reported.

The country is home to the world’s third-largest expanse of tropical rainforest and its largest tropical peatland area, according to the World Bank, which has documented how draining peat swamps for agriculture leaves them vulnerable to fires that are difficult to extinguish.

Several commenters challenged Syahganda’s oxygen claim by pointing to marine life. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates that roughly half of Earth’s oxygen production comes from the ocean, largely through photosynthetic plankton.

Most oxygen people breathe, however, comes from atmospheric reserves accumulated over hundreds of millions of years.

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What’s behind Indonesia’s decades-long wildfire problem?

Syahganda’s remarks echoed another controversial comment made by then Indonesian vice-president Jusuf Kalla in 2015 during a previous haze crisis.

“For 11 months, they enjoyed nice air from Indonesia and they never thanked us,” Jusuf said. “They have suffered because of the haze for one month and they get upset.”

One social media user questioned whether the same logic meant someone whose house caught fire should be grateful for free heating.

“Pak Menteri, this is a public health issue, not a buy-one-free-one promotion,” the user wrote, addressing the official as “Mr Minister”.