Forestry Minister stresses impartial law enforcement on forest and land fires
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has stressed that law enforcement against forest and land fires (karhutla) is being carried out without favour.
In a statement in Jakarta on Tuesday, the minister said there are currently 42 forest and land fire cases being processed at the Directorate General of Law Enforcement (Gakkum) of the Ministry of Forestry.
“Yes, yesterday the National Police Chief of Criminal Investigation announced there are 72 cases being processed. At Gakkum of the Ministry of Forestry there are 42 (cases being processed), these have already begun the legal process,” said Raja Juli Antoni.
Furthermore, the minister also affirmed that the government will not differentiate enforcement based on the size of the party suspected of committing a violation.
He also reminded that the law enforcement process must proceed in accordance with applicable regulations.
“Once again, as instructed by President Prabowo Subianto, whoever violates, whether large or small, as long as it harms the people, then I as Forestry Minister, if it occurs under my authority, in Forest Utilisation Business Permit Holders (PBPH), in forestry concessions, the strictest sanctions will be imposed,” he said.
According to the minister, enforcement can be carried out not only through criminal proceedings. For violations within the authority of the Ministry of Forestry, administrative sanctions may also be imposed in accordance with the provisions.
“In addition to criminal sanctions, we will also revoke permits administratively. But in essence, this law enforcement will not be impartial. It will not be sharp downwards and blunt upwards,” he stressed.
The minister has directly inspected the handling of forest and land fires in Jambi. The fire location is on peatland bordering a protected forest area of around 17 thousand hectares.
He said the condition is a concern, because the burning peatland has a depth of around 4 metres.
According to him, fires on peatland are not easy to extinguish because embers can persist below the surface even if the flames above appear to have been extinguished.
In addition, the minister also reminded the public not to carry out activities that could trigger fires.
He assessed that actions that seem trivial can also have wide-ranging impacts if they occur on peatland.
“How a trivial matter that may not be thought of has broad implications. But it turns out that if it is not anticipated and is still carried out, then fires like this occur,” he said.
On the other hand, the minister also appreciated the role of the Fire Care Community (MPA) which moved quickly to find hotspots and coordinated with the Ministry of Forestry’s Manggala Agni, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), and the National Police (Polri).
He mentioned that there are around 40 MPA members who have been playing a role in helping control forest and land fires in the area.