Prabowo Ultimatum to Companies Blamed for Forest Fires: This Has Gone Too Far

President Prabowo Subianto has ordered the government to revoke the permits of companies blamed for forest and land fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra, saying their actions have gone too far.

“If necessary, we will immediately revoke everything. We will revoke all their permits, their cultivation rights and so on. This has gone too far, and I also want to know who really owns these corporations,” Prabowo said during a virtual limited meeting on disaster management on Monday, Sept. 7.

Prabowo said a list of the companies would be sent to the Ministry of Forestry, the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency, and the task force handling forest and plantation law enforcement. He also asked National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo to submit the names of the eight companies currently being processed, along with companies whose permits had been revoked or suspended and were still under review.

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If necessary, we will immediately revoke everything. We will revoke all their permits, their cultivation rights and so on. This has gone too far, and I also want to know who really owns these corporations.

Prabowo questioned how new oil-palm plantations could appear shortly after areas had burned. “I am interested in land that, immediately after a fire, becomes plantation land in a very short time. So, was this really deliberate, and does it involve local people or corporations? Please continue investigating,” he said. He assessed that some fires may have been deliberately set to clear land for plantations.

Listyo said eight companies were being processed over fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra. Police were handling 200 reports, with 138 people named as suspects. Of those, 119 allegedly set fires deliberately to clear land, while 18 were found negligent. The government has also suspended local customary burning practices during the extreme El Niño dry season. Listyo said violations could bring criminal, civil or administrative penalties, while police and military personnel were educating communities about land-clearing rules.

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I am interested in land that, immediately after a fire, becomes plantation land in a very short time. So, was this really deliberate, and does it involve local people or corporations? Please continue investigating.