Indonesians urge Singapore, Malaysia to sue Jakarta as haze blankets region

Every time Kristaen Albert returns home, he reaches for one of the dozen cans of oxygen on a table by the entrance of his house in Central Kalimantan.

The air in his neighbourhood has turned dusty amber, with air quality far exceeding hazardous levels. “My breathing is noticeably heavier whenever I step outside. It’s hard to concentrate and stay focused, and it is really affecting my work,” Albert, a 31-year-old software engineer, told This Week in Asia. “Living in this haze is awful.”

“The government’s response to these devastating wildfires has been incredibly slow,” he said. “To put it bluntly, we are angry.”

Albert is among many Indonesians who are urging foreign governments on social media, including those of neighbouring countries affected by the haze, to take action against Jakarta over its handling of the fires.

Indonesians were “bowing their heads in regret” over the haze crisis, he said. “Please forgive us. You can help us to sue our government; we will support you.”

One social media user called on foreign states and international environmental organisations to “demand accountability” from Jakarta in accordance with the law. “Please don’t turn a blind eye to our suffering,” said the user. “Kalimantan needs your help.”

This year’s haze has been fuelled by fires across Indonesia, particularly in Sumatra and Kalimantan, where dry conditions have allowed forest and peatland fires to spread.

The toxic smoke has hit Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, Thailand and even as far as Vietnam, as millions of Southeast Asians grapple with one of the worst haze episodes in more than a decade, with many complaining about the adverse health impact.

Air quality in Singapore entered the “very unhealthy” range for the first time this year on Wednesday, while the smog has forced schools in several Malaysian states to close.

Risayogi Wicaksana, who lives in South Sumatra, told This Week in Asia he felt a sense of accountability and guilt towards other countries because the province was home to numerous haze hotspots.

“During the recent Formula 1 races in Malaysia and Singapore, key figures commented on the smoke. I really hoped the issue would then gain greater international attention,” he said.

Maxwell Lane, a visiting senior fellow at the Indonesia Studies Programme at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, said the online outcry reflected mounting frustration over what many perceived as an inadequate government response to recent disasters.

“You often hear among civil society that they feel the government is cuek [indifferent] to these disasters,” he said.

Lane noted that the government had stopped short of declaring recent natural disasters national emergencies, citing floods in Sumatra that killed more than 1,000 people last year and an earthquake in August that displaced tens of thousands in the Flores region.

According to Indonesia’s environment ministry on Tuesday, forest fires in the country were expected to be extinguished within a month. President Prabowo Subianto had demanded that all available resources be deployed to accelerate fire prevention efforts, the government’s communications agency said on Monday.

Wildfires have been especially intense this year amid El Nino conditions, which some have described as being at “Godzilla-level” intensity, bringing warmer and drier conditions that can exacerbate fires.

A trial involving the release of dry ice over South Sumatra to tackle the haze was scheduled for Thursday, Coordinating Security Minister Dudung Abdurachman said.

The minister had previously ruled out declaring the prolonged forest fires a national disaster. “Not yet, not yet. We are still capable of handling it,” Dudung said after a cabinet meeting on Monday, according to local media.

Singapore and Malaysia have offered to help Indonesia tackle the fires, but Jakarta has reportedly yet to accept their help.

Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on Sunday that his country had offered a firefighting aircraft, three helicopters and personnel but was still awaiting a response.

Abi Victor, a 27-year-old Indonesian, said he was “disappointed” that his country had yet to accept help. “I’m deeply saddened because as ordinary citizens there is little we can do,” he said.

An Indonesian official’s remark that Singapore and Malaysia received their oxygen from Jakarta also triggered an online backlash, drawing ridicule and renewed criticism of his government’s handling of forest and peatland fires.

“We’re not just sending smoke. If there’s no smoke, we’re sending oxygen. Singapore and Malaysia’s oxygen comes from our forests,” said Syahganda Nainggolan, the newly appointed head of the Government Communication Agency, as quoted by local news outlet Kompas on Saturday.

Last month, a coalition of Indonesian civil society groups filed a lawsuit against Prabowo and his officials over their handling of the fires, urging sanctions against those responsible for alleged environmental crimes. Previous similar attempts have met with limited success.

Singapore’s Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said on Wednesday the city state would “keep its options open” on taking legal action against errant companies. Companies found guilty of causing or condoning fires under the 2014 Transboundary Haze Pollution Act can be fined up to S$100,000 (US$77,951) a day, capped at S$2 million in total.

When asked if investigations were being conducted, the National Environment Agency (NEA) in Singapore said it was closely monitoring the situation and gathering data on hotspots.

Investigations were launched into six Indonesian companies under the act in 2015 following a severe bout of haze, and two cases were closed based on the information provided. Investigations into four companies remained ongoing, said NEA.

Singapore’s issuance of summons to several Indonesian companies over the haze in 2015 drew criticism from the then Indonesian government.

07:39

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Risayogi is sceptical of his government’s ability to manage the fires and has also taken to social media to express his frustration, even calling on other countries to impose economic sanctions on Jakarta.

“The world needs to know what is happening here,” he said.

“Anything that is needed to compel the government to take optimal action in addressing these fires.”