President Prabowo Emphasizes Regulatory and Corporate Control to Prevent Peat Fires

resident Prabowo Subianto emphasized the importance of regulatory and corporate governance as part of efforts to prevent forest and land fires, particularly in peatland areas. He made this statement while leading a discussion with academics from various research institutions and universities at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Thursday, September 24, 2026.

President Prabowo stated that the government will continue investigating corporations that intentionally set fires. In addition to enforcing sanctions against violators, President Prabowo believes regulatory reforms are also necessary to strengthen fire prevention.

"So, ladies and gentlemen, we will continue to investigate corporations that carry out deliberate burning. First, we must correct the regulations. We must be firm about that," said the President in his introduction to a video uploaded to the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube account on Friday, September 25, 2026.

President Prabowo stated that several regional regulations at the district level still permit burning of up to two hectares of land. According to him, these provisions could create loopholes that could complicate control if the fires spread.

"There are still eight regional regulations in the district. Imagine someone who wants to use a loophole that allows one person to burn 2 hectares, which in my opinion is complete nonsense . If they burn 2 hectares, how can they stop the fire?" the President said.

Regarding community-level management, President Prabowo stated that the government will strengthen education by deploying TNI (Indonesian National Armed Forces) and possibly Polri (Indonesian National Police) personnel to the regions. This step will also be accompanied by the provision of solutions for communities seeking land management tools without burning.

"So, I have assigned the TNI, and perhaps the Polri, to deploy a thousand major, lieutenant colonel, and colonel officers to the districts to provide education," said the President.

President Prabowo emphasized that these efforts are being undertaken to ensure communities can continue to manage their land and improve their well-being without resorting to burning. The government will also provide support in the form of land and supporting facilities as needed.

"I've provided the solution. If you need land, let us know, and we'll build it for you. We'll provide pumps for you," the President said.

Meanwhile, President Prabowo emphasized that corporations have obligations stipulated in regulations, ranging from providing towers and reservoirs to providing firefighting teams. Compliance with these provisions, according to the President, must be ensured through enforcement.

"Every five hectares must have a tower, every so many hectares must have a reservoir, every so many hectares—there are regulations, and you must have a firefighting team made up of your employees. Some companies comply, some don't. We must regulate this," said the President.

President Prabowo emphasized that fire management must go hand in hand with efforts to safeguard public welfare and ensure corporate obligations are met. This step is part of the government's efforts to strengthen forest and land fire prevention, particularly in peatland areas.

"We want our people to prosper; we can't possibly want to harm them. But corporations are different; we have regulations and obligations regarding companies," the President emphasized.