Regional Police Chief And Regional Military Commander Who Have Failed To Overcome Karhutla, Get Ready To Be Removed By Jokowi

Ilustrasi foto (Mikhail Serdyukov / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has threatened to remove high-ranking National Army and National Police officials in the regions if they are unable to deal with forest and land fires (Karhutla) in their area.

This was conveyed by him in the Coordination Meeting of Forest and Land Fires Control at the State Palace, Jakarta.

"The agreement is for the new Commander, Head of Region Police, Head of District Police, Commander of the Military Resort, and Commander of Military District, so that they know and the rules of the game are still the same," Jokowi said during a briefing broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat YouTube account, Monday, February 22.

"If in your area there is a fire and it grows and it is not handled properly, I have not changed the rules of the game. I think we still remember everything if we participate in routine meetings like this every year, I will definitely remember, that is removed, that is replaced," he added.

Furthermore, he also mentioned the existence of a number of forest and land fires that have occurred since last January, including in Riau and West Kalimantan. He asked regional heads and all stakeholders to pay attention to this problem so as not to interfere with community activities.

In the Rakornas, Jokowi also mentioned a number of efforts that must be made by regional heads and their staff in dealing with the forest and land fire problem. The first is to prioritize prevention problems.

According to him, prevention must be done so that the incidence of forest fires does not cause serious impacts like those in other countries. "Don't be late, even in big countries, there have been large fires. I think you know everything until a city catches fire," said the former governor of DKI Jakarta.

Second, Jokowi asked that monitoring and supervision should always be implemented down to the lowest level by involving Village guidance Officer, Community Pollice Officer, and village heads. In addition, this element can also take precautions by continuously providing education.

"Third, we need to find permanent solutions to prevent and deal with forest and land fires for the coming years," said Jokowi.

Fourth, he said that the arrangement of the peat ecosystem in the hydrological area needs to be continued. "I ordered the Peat and Mangrove Restoration Agency to focus on this," he said.

"Make sure the peat hydrological area is maintained so that the groundwater level is maintained in a high condition, build many reservoirs, many canals, drill wells with various other wetting techniques so that the peatland remains wet," he added.

Next, he asked regional heads and stakeholders not to be late in controlling the fire. Because, when the fire grows, it will be more difficult to control.

"Lastly, I ask for law enforcement steps to be carried out without compromise, I think the Head of National Police knows what to do here because we have had the experience of doing it yesterday, law enforcement for anyone who has forest and land fires either in company-owned or community-owned concessions," Jokowi concluded.