Prabowo Meets Dayak Leader amid Kalimantan Forest Fires

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto received the leader of a Dayak organization, Panglima Jilah, at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Friday, August 28, 2026, amid massive forest and land fires in Kalimantan. During the meeting, Panglima Jilah said that Prabowo supported efforts to accelerate the response to the fires, including by deploying additional personnel and providing aerial resources.

“We discussed the forest and land fires. Earlier, he helped us by providing personnel to respond immediately. This has already begun and has been underway for about a week,” Panglima Jilah told reporters after the meeting.

On the occasion, Panglima Jilah also highlighted a recurring issue when forest and land fires occur: accusations that traditional farmers are responsible for the fires. He said Dayak farming practices differ in both characteristics and location from plantation activities, particularly regarding peatland.

"Sometimes the timing of farming and plantation activities coincides. As a result, traditional farmers are blamed. But in fact, people do not practice farming on peatland. They farm on mineral soil," he said.

Panglima Jilah said indigenous communities play an important role in monitoring land-burning activities. He stressed that indigenous communities are not merely affected by the fires but also monitor their respective areas.

"So, if we carry out a burn, wherever our farming land is burned, that is where we ourselves will monitor it," he said.

Panglima Jilah also emphasized that the Dayak tradition of shifting cultivation has been practiced for generations, long before plantations developed in Kalimantan. He added that the Dayak people have a close relationship with nature, making environmental stewardship an important part of indigenous life.

As part of efforts to prevent forest fires, indigenous communities also conduct public outreach through customary leaders. The education efforts aim to ensure that people do not burn land indiscriminately.

"Indigenous communities conduct outreach through customary leaders so that people do not carelessly burn forests, because indigenous communities are closely connected to nature. Without nature, there can be no indigenous communities. We protect it," Panglima Jilah said.

Panglima Jilah leads a Dayak organization, Tariu Borneo Bangkule Rajakng (TBBR). It focuses on cultural preservation, defense of indigenous rights, and safeguarding ancestral dignity.