Indonesia Is Not Declaring Forest Fires As National Disaster For Now

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Malaysians continue to suffer from the toxic haze coming from Indonesia’s Kalimantan and Sumatra as peat land fires continue to spread, with no clear indication of when the situation will be resolved.

With the scale of the fires and the resulting smog, one would think a nationwide emergency or national disaster would be called by the country involved by now.

Just two days ago, Malay Mail reported 15 areas on Peninsular Malaysia recorded unhealthy air quality, with Pasir Gudang in Johor reaching an all-time high air pollutant index (API) reading of 180.

On the same day, Pahang, Kuala Lumpur, Terengganu, and Melaka were reported to have API readings ranging from 103 to 178.

Indonesia still won’t declare an emergency

However, the Indonesian government will not be declaring the ongoing forest and land fire in its country as a national disaster for the time being, stating that it is still capable of handling the crisis.

According to Berita Harian , Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Dudung Abdurachman said the decision was reached during a limited cabinet meeting chaired by President Prabowo Subianto at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Monday, 12 October 2026.

“Not yet, not yet. We are still able to handle it,” Dudung told reporters after the meeting.

He said international offers for aid was not discussed in the meeting, while acknowledging concerns related to transboundary haze affecting neighbouring countries, including Malaysia.

“There has indeed been feedback related to the forest fires from other countries, and we are putting in maximum effort,” he said, expressing hope that the situation will be resolved as soon as possible.

Malaysia’s offer to help Indonesia is still hanging

The Malaysian government has offered help to extinguish the fires in Indonesia using aerial methods, but has yet to receive a response from the neighbouring government for weeks.

This was confirmed by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi last Sunday (11 October), after he had discussed the offer with Prabowo and a representative of the Vice-President during a visit to Jakarta last month.

The National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) and the Foreign Ministry have also written to their Indonesian counterparts, but Zahid said there has been no response so far.

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) acting spokesman Berton Panjaitan said that aid is welcome, but warned that air support is dangerous due to low visibilty in the thick haze.

He advised that ground personnel would be better, but stressed that the comment is his personal view and not an official request for help.

READ MORE: Malaysia’s Haze Help Offer Is Still Hanging – Jakarta’s Own Official Says The Helicopters Can Fly, But Not Through This Haze

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