TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, during the national coordination meeting on wildfire today, not only expressed his disappointment on the growing number of hotspots, but also gave a firm warning for the governors, mayors, police chiefs, and military commanders who were present in the meeting.

“The rules I once mentioned back in 2015 remains valid [for the current situation]. I personally made a call to the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) Commander and asked him to fire those who are unable in handling the situation,” said the president who was visibly upset by the haze situation, Tuesday, August 6.

He also explained his orders to the Indonesian National Police Chief, “Fire the people who cannot handle the wildfires.”

The president compared today’s situation to 2015, which had seen an exponential decrease in the number of hotspots created by forest fires.

The 2015 wildfire was a major national disaster for Indonesia that saw 2.6 million hectares of land flattened by intense fires that cost the nation Rp221 trillion.

Despite the 81 percent drop compared to 2015, Jokowi reminded that such a situation should gradually be reduced to the point of being non-existent. “Completely eliminating it is difficult but it must be suppressed,” he said.

EGI ADYATAMA