The proposal was approved during a working committee meeting on the Police Bill (RUU Polri) at the House of Representatives' Commission III on Monday.
The handover ceremony took place at the headquarters of the Attorney Generals Office of Indonesia in Jakarta, where stacks of cash were displayed prominently in the main courtyard.
"We will call for another meeting of the parliament's Legislative Body to reschedule the plenary session due to the current lack of quorum," said Sufmi Dasco Ahmad.
Daniel Johan, a member of Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), has urged the government to immediately declare the forest and land fires (Karhutla) in Kalimantan a national disaster.
He said the move was increasingly urgent as the fires continued to spread and disrupt various aspects of people's lives.
Daniel described the situation on the ground as extreme, saying the fires were posing a serious threat to public health and livelihoods.
“Kalimantan is now like half of ‘hell’ because the forest and land fires are getting worse. The government needs to declare the fires in Kalimantan a national disaster because the impact is so significant,” Daniel told reporters on Friday (21 August 2026).
According to data from Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the number of hotspots across Kalimantan has reached worrying levels.
Central Kalimantan recorded the highest number, with 767 hotspots, followed by West Kalimantan with 560.
Daniel said the government should not focus solely on statistical data.
“When hotspots become concentrated in large numbers across Kalimantan, every high-confidence hotspot must immediately be translated into a list of priority locations that need to be verified and dealt with on the ground within hours,” he said.
The fires have also disrupted education. Schools in Kubu Raya Regency and Pontianak City have been forced to close temporarily because of dense smoke.
Reduced visibility has also been reported in several areas. In Banjarbaru, visibility was reportedly down to just 10 metres, raising the risk of road accidents.
“This is certainly a cause for concern because the impact of the fires is increasingly disrupting children's education, including in Kubu Raya Regency and Pontianak City, where schools have had to close because of the poor air quality,” Daniel said.
The crisis has also developed into an international issue, with transboundary haze pollution reportedly forcing hundreds of schools in Malaysia to close, while Singapore has issued warnings to its citizens.
Daniel called for a full-scale response on the ground.
“We urge the government to immediately deploy large-scale firefighting forces, strengthen water-bombing operations, and deploy joint ground teams from Manggala Agni, regional disaster management agencies (BPBD), and the Indonesian military and police, focusing on fires in peatland areas that could spread towards nearby airports,” he said.
Beyond firefighting operations, Daniel called for weather modification technology to be used before the dry season reaches its peak.
“We also urge the government to accelerate weather modification operations through intensive coordination between BNPB, BMKG and BRIN. This option needs to be implemented immediately while there is still cloud potential, before the dry season reaches its peak,” he said.
Daniel also criticised what he described as the government's tendency to respond too late to an annual disaster.
“I also question the government's mitigation efforts because these forest and land fires happen every year. Why wait until the fires become widespread before responding seriously?” he said.
Amid limited resources among authorities, local residents have also taken matters into their own hands, with volunteers ranging from a teenager dressed as Superman in Palangka Raya to groups of women known as “The Power of Mama” in Ketapang.
“Many people are frustrated and have taken the initiative to fight the fires themselves. In West Kalimantan, even groups of women have joined the effort. In Sambas there is a group called Srikandi, while in Ketapang there is a women's group called The Power of Mama. I really admire them. They are incredibly brave,” Daniel said.
Despite praising the volunteers, he stressed the importance of safety.
“Safety must remain the priority. If the situation becomes dangerous, leave the firefighting to the authorities. Safety standards must also be maintained for the officers who continue to work tirelessly to tackle the fires,” he said.
On the causes of the fires, Daniel called for firm law enforcement to prevent social tensions or vigilante action, including the misuse of customary law, as residents become increasingly frustrated with those suspected of deliberately setting fires.
“We must not allow communities to take matters into their own hands or use customary or social sanctions because they are so angry about land-burning,” he said.
To support operations on the ground, Daniel also urged the Ministry of Finance to immediately release funds that have already been allocated.
“We urge the Ministry of Finance to immediately disburse the Rp290.9013 billion (£13.4 million) allocated for the prevention and response to forest and land fires. This funding is urgently needed so that firefighting efforts on the ground are no longer hampered by limited resources,” Daniel said.
