Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto and several senior government officials are facing a class action lawsuit over their handling of forest and land fires that have blanketed parts of Borneo in thick haze.
According to CNA, the case opened at the Pontianak District Court on Oct 7, after four plaintiffs, including a local chapter of Indigenous rights group AMAN, accused the government of failing to adequately address the recurring fires.
President among 10 defendants
The lawsuit names President Prabowo Subianto, Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the West Kalimantan governor and several ministers and agency heads among the defendants.
According to The Jakarta Post, the plaintiffs are represented by the Nafas Kalbar legal team and argue that the fires and haze have become an almost yearly problem that authorities should have been better prepared for.
The plaintiffs have accused the government of “gross negligence”, saying recurring forest destruction and peatland fires have caused serious environmental and health impacts.
Haze has affected Malaysia too
The case comes as Indonesia experiences its worst wildfire season in 11 years, with smoke spreading beyond its borders and affecting Malaysia, Singapore and other parts of Southeast Asia.
West Kalimantan has been particularly badly affected.
South China Morning Post reported that more than 48,000 hectares of land and forest had burned in the province this year, while Indonesia’s Health Ministry recorded more than 116,000 acute respiratory infections there.
The haze has also disrupted schools, flights and daily life across the region.
Plaintiffs want national disaster declaration
The plaintiffs are asking the Indonesian government to declare the fires and haze a national disaster.
They argue this would allow for more comprehensive recovery efforts, including rehabilitation measures and coverage of healthcare costs for affected residents.
Their lawyer, Glorio Sanen, said the lawsuit was intended as “a step to address the problem” of recurring wildfires.
Government officials did not attend first hearing
None of the defendants attended the first hearing on Oct 7.
The court subsequently postponed proceedings until Oct 21.
Sanen said the plaintiffs were disappointed by the absence, although he acknowledged that haze-related flight disruptions may have made it difficult for some officials to reach Pontianak.
A similar lawsuit filed in South Sumatra last year was dismissed.
The latest case adds further pressure on Indonesia to address the annual haze problem, which has once again spilled across borders and affected air quality in Malaysia.
