President Prabowo Subianto received a visit from the supreme leader\nof the Red Force of the Tariu Borneo Bangkule Rajakng (TBBR)\norganisation, Panglima Jilah, at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta. During\nthe meeting, Panglima Jilah said that Prabowo had pledged support to\naccelerate the handling of forest and land fires (karhutla) in\nKalimantan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe discussed karhutla. He is helping us through personnel, and this\nhas already begun, about a week ago,\u201d Panglima Jilah said in a statement\nfrom the Presidential Secretariat\u2019s Press, Media and Information Bureau\non Friday (28\/8\/2026).<\/p>\n
According to Panglima Jilah, government support for West Kalimantan\nis not limited to tackling forest and land fires. He said Prabowo has\nalso paid attention to various needs of communities in the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe President has helped us a great deal, especially in West\nKalimantan \u2014 customary houses, schools, scholarships, roads,\ninfrastructure, hospitals, scholarships, and the TNI-Polri,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
On that occasion, Panglima Jilah also highlighted an issue that often\narises when forest and land fires occur: accusations that shifting\ncultivators are the cause of the fires. In his view, Dayak farming\nactivities have characteristics and locations that differ from\nplantation areas, particularly with regard to peatland.<\/p>\n
\u201cShifting cultivation and plantations sometimes occur at the same\ntime. In the end, the farmers get the blame. But in fact, shifting\ncultivators do not farm on peatland. They farm on mineral soil,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Panglima Jilah said indigenous communities play an important role in\nmonitoring land-burning activities. He stressed that indigenous\ncommunities are not merely on the receiving end of fire impacts, but\nalso take part in monitoring their respective areas.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo when we burn, wherever our farmland is burned, that is where we\ncarry out the monitoring,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Panglima Jilah asserted that the tradition of shifting cultivation\nhas been practised by the Dayak people for a long time, long before\nplantations developed in Kalimantan. The Dayak people, he said, have a\nclose relationship with nature, making environmental stewardship an\nimportant part of indigenous life.<\/p>\n
In efforts to prevent forest and land fires, indigenous communities\nalso conduct outreach through customary leaders. The education is aimed\nat ensuring that people do not burn forests carelessly.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndigenous communities socialise through customary leaders so that\npeople do not burn forests carelessly, because indigenous communities\nare synonymous with being close to nature. Of course, without nature\nthere are no indigenous communities. We protect it,\u201d Panglima Jilah\nsaid.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/prabowo-receives-panglima-jilah-discusses-forest-fire-handling-in-west-kalimantan-1787928717", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }