PDI-P Opposes Turning Burned Indonesian Forests Into Palm Oil Plantations

Forest protection and earlier prevention

Speaking at the Museum of the Youth Pledge in Central Jakarta, Hasto said the restriction should cover both burned forests and forests exploited by parties seeking to develop plantations, Kompas.com reported. He linked the position to land-use planning practices associated with Megawati Soekarnoputri, Indonesia's fifth president and the current PDI-P chair.

"This is spatial politics, which includes the implementation of a forest moratorium," he said.

The remarks followed a written statement Hasto issued nine days earlier, on October 16, calling for a forest moratorium and rejecting the conversion of forest areas to palm oil plantations. In that statement, reported by Kompas.com, he described Megawati as "the only president who did not issue permits for the expansion of palm oil plantations."

Hasto also urged Indonesia to review its response to fires following criticism from Singapore and Malaysia. Referring to earlier viral videos about criticism from neighboring countries, he said the issue affected national dignity and called for introspection and evaluation.

He said the government could change policies to prevent further forest and land fires, and called for a prevention system that included preparedness at the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) and modernized equipment. "Going forward, at least five months before the dry season, comprehensive planning must be carried out to prevent forest fires," he said.

Health, economic and wildlife losses

Health Ministry figures cited by Mongabay show that acute respiratory illness cases in seven fire- and haze-affected provinces rose from 113,336 as of September 9 to 283,270 as of October 13, 2026, more than doubling. Mongabay also reported a Greenpeace estimate that roughly 40 million people in Indonesian Borneo and Sumatra had been exposed to smoke haze during the two months before mid-October.

The Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios) estimated that fires across Indonesia from January through August 2026 could carry economic and health costs of up to 123.1 trillion rupiah, or about US$6.8 billion. The Business Times reported that the estimate was equivalent to 49.1 percent of Central Kalimantan's projected gross regional domestic product for the year.

Wildlife rescues in West Kalimantan had also surpassed the number recorded during the 2015 fires. Authorities and conservationists rescued 46 orangutans threatened by the 2026 fires as of October 9, compared with 40 in 2015, International Animal Rescue told Mongabay.

Companies face investigations and legal notices

Indonesian police have designated nine palm oil companies as suspects in cases involving fires that affected more than 25,600 hectares, The Business Times reported on October 20. Authorities have also identified between 97 and 125 legal entities for suspected corporate involvement in the fires.

Singapore's National Environment Agency has separately served notices on 10 Indonesian companies under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, according to the same report. The notices ask the companies to halt land burning and provide plans to prevent it from recurring.

Companies found guilty under the law can be fined up to S$100,000 per day, with a cap of S$2 million. Singapore last used the law during the 2015 haze crisis, when it issued notices to six firms. Two of those cases have been closed, while four remain under investigation.

Regional assistance and summit discussions

Malaysia offered to send a firefighting aircraft, three helicopters and 52 personnel to help Indonesia combat the fires. As of mid-October, however, it was still waiting for a formal response from Jakarta, Mongabay reported on October 16.

The issue is also due to reach regional leaders. Kompas.id reported on October 23 that Malaysia and the Philippines, as ASEAN chair for 2026, had confirmed that haze from Indonesia's forest fires would be discussed at the ASEAN Summit in November 2026.