State Secretary denies Haji Isam appointed as forest fire coordinator
State Secretary Minister (Mensesneg) Prasetyo Hadi has denied reports that businessman Andi Syamsuddin Arsyad, also known as Haji Isam, was appointed as coordinator for forest and land fire (karhutla) handling in Kalimantan.
“There is no such thing, that is not true,” said Prasetyo in response to journalists’ questions at the wedding ceremony of President Prabowo Subianto’s Personal Secretary Chief, Rizky Irmansyah, and Chika Yenalovi at the JCC, Senayan, Jakarta, on Sunday.
He was responding to questions from journalists regarding rumours circulating on social media that businessman Haji Isam had been appointed by President Prabowo to lead forest fire handling operations in the Kalimantan region.
Prasetyo emphasised that all parties are indeed being asked to assist in efforts to tackle the forest fires occurring in several areas of Sumatra and Kalimantan.
“That all parties are asked to help, yes, but to become a coordinator, no, because the authority does not lie there,” he said.
Regarding forest fire handling, the State Secretary said the central government has appointed a number of minister-level officials to handle forest fires in several priority areas.
The government itself has been stepping up efforts to control and handle forest fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra by deploying 12,880 personnel for firefighting operations, weather modification operations (OMC), and air quality monitoring.
The government is also giving special attention and strict supervision to six priority provinces prone to forest fires, namely Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan.
The President himself has led forest fire handling meetings in Kalimantan, including coordinating with a number of Red and White Cabinet ministers in Central Kalimantan on Saturday (22/8).
One of the directives issued was to provide additional firefighting equipment and supporting facilities, including four water bombing helicopters, 100 water pumps, 2,000 units of personal protective equipment (APD), gepyok hoes, bore wells, and water hoses.