Indonesia's Palace Denies Haji Isam Appointment as Kalimantan Forest Fire Coordinator

August 24, 2026 | 06:20 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Presidential Palace has denied reports that President Prabowo Subianto appointed South Kalimantan businessman Andi Syamsuddin Arsyad—also known as Haji Isam—as the coordinator for handling forest and land fires on the island of Kalimantan. The rumor had previously been reported by various media outlets and had gone viral on social media.

"That is not true," said State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi in Senayan, Jakarta, on Sunday, August 23, 2026. Isam serves as the Special Presidential Envoy for Energy, Food, and Infrastructure.

Prasetyo stated that narratives popular on social media are not necessarily true. He warned that problems would arise if every viral issue were believed.

Nevertheless, the Gerindra Party politician stated that the government has indeed asked all parties to assist in handling forest and land fires. "However, acting as the coordinator is not the case; that is not where the authority lies," he said.

The central government has appointed several minister-level officials to serve as disaster management coordinators. These ministers, he noted, share the task of coordinating disaster response efforts across various regions—ranging from forest and land fires in Kalimantan to earthquakes in East Nusa Tenggara.

Prasetyo stated that the government currently has no plans to establish a task force to handle forest and land fires, as it considers cross-sector coordination to be sufficiently robust.

A narrative had previously circulated on social media claiming that President Prabowo Subianto had appointed Haji Isam as the coordinator for forest and land fire mitigation in Kalimantan. The reports alleged that the appointment was conveyed by the Minister of Defense via a telephone call on Saturday, August 22, 2026, at approximately 11:00 WITA (Central Indonesian Time).

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