REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The government should jointly work to solve the problem of forest and land fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan.
"Ministries and agencies should jointly work to tackle forest fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra. Those efforts should be synergized, including foreign assistance," Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives (DPR) Agus Hermanto affirmed here on Friday.
According to Hermanto, the government should focus on solving the problem of forest and land fires.
"Tens of thousands of Indonesians are being treated for upper respiratory tract infections caused by thick smoke. The health minister should assist the victims soon," he emphasized.
Regarding foreign aid, Hermanto supported the government's decision to accept foreign assistance as Singapore and parts of Malaysia had been blanketed by clouds of smoke originating from the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan.
He affirmed that the handling of forest and land fires should be the focus for the short term.
"For the long term, the House will strengthen the law on environment, including the chapter on the prohibition on burning land, local knowledge, and so forth," he noted.
"The governor's decree on land clearing should be implemented seriously," he remarked.
With the establishment of a committee, he said the DPR had urged the government to take serious steps to overcome the haze problem.
Earlier, Deputy Chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Hidayat Nur Wahid had urged the government to declare the haze affecting several parts of Indonesia a "national disaster."
He said such a declaration will enable professional and effective measures to kick in to address the menace.
"The losses (caused by the haze disaster) have reached more than Rp3 trillion. If it is declared a 'national disaster,' full-scale efforts can be launched to deal with the situation," he stated.
By declaring the haze a "national disaster," the people will be able to perceive that the government is committed to cope with the situation, he said.
In addition, the country will be able to direct its budget towards handling this disaster by setting up a smoke emergency operations' task force, among other steps, he affirmed.
"With every passing day, (the handling of haze) has been increasingly taking a backseat. People are putting up posters. Is the president not seeing them?" he questioned.
It is not late to handle the haze even at this stage since the lives of the Indonesian people are affected by it, he remarked.
The slow handling of the haze will take its own toll and even upset neighboring countries, he pointed out.
"It is not late (to handle the haze disaster at this stage) rather than ignoring it. The disaster will claim lives in the long run," he emphasized.
The haze disaster, which has lasted for more than a month, has now become a serious problem as it has taken its toll and threatened the lives of the people, he added.
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