Indonesia Declines Immediate Foreign Aid for Forest Fires, Citing Domestic Capacity
Indonesia holds off on foreign wildfire assistance, maintaining it can manage the crisis independently as regional haze concerns persist across Southeast Asia.
POLICY WIRE — Jakarta, Indonesia — The Indonesian government has opted to delay accepting international aid to combat widespread forest and land fires, asserting that its own resources remain sufficient to manage the crisis. Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Dudung Abdurachman stated on Monday, Oct 19, that the nation has not yet declared a national disaster, a move that would be required to formally trigger foreign assistance.
Speaking after a ministerial meeting in Jakarta, Dudung emphasized that the decision is not a rejection of support but a practical assessment of the situation. He noted that beyond the logistics of the aid itself, there would be significant technical challenges to overcome on the ground if international teams were deployed.
The government is currently managing the blazes with a massive mobilization of approximately 60,000 personnel spread across six provinces. This effort follows earlier signals from Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir, who stated on Oct 15 that President Prabowo had approved the principle of foreign assistance, with technical discussions currently being handled by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).
Neighboring nations, particularly Singapore and Malaysia, have been vocal in their offers of support as regional haze from the fires has persisted for several weeks. Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim have both reiterated their readiness to assist, with Malaysia proposing an ASEAN-wide cooperation mechanism to improve regional preparedness and joint response efforts.
Singapore’s Senior Minister K Shanmugam praised the proactive measures taken by President Prabowo’s administration, including the replacement of key disaster relief leadership and new directives aimed at curbing slash-and-burn practices on peatland. Shanmugam described these policy shifts as unprecedented steps toward long-term fire prevention.
Malaysia has specifically offered to deploy a Bombardier CL-415MP firefighting aircraft, three helicopters, and 50 personnel, an offer first discussed during a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and President Prabowo in West Java this past September. For now, these assets remain on standby pending an official request from the Indonesian government.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
