Gerindra Urges Prabowo to Review Forestry Minister Over Fires
Gerindra spokesman Kamrussamad said Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni should face a serious performance review over forest and land fires affecting communities. Speaking at a Jakarta discussion marking two years of the Prabowo-Gibran government, he said weak oversight in fire-prone areas warranted attention. Gerindra said it would accept a reshuffle if the review led to one, but no presidential decision or response from the minister was reported.
JAKARTA — Indonesia’s ruling-party ally Gerindra has urged President Prabowo Subianto to conduct a serious review of Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni, citing forest and land fires affecting communities and weak oversight in fire-prone areas. The call came Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, during a discussion in South Jakarta marking two years of the Prabowo-Gibran administration; it was not an announcement that the minister would be replaced.
Gerindra spokesman Kamrussamad said the president should examine the minister’s performance and that the party would accept a reshuffle if the review led to one. The issue carries direct consequences for residents exposed to fires, though the report did not identify affected locations or quantify the impact.
Gerindra calls for a serious review
“I believe we need to propose to the President that he seriously evaluate the forestry minister,” Kamrussamad said at the event.
He linked the proposed review to forest and land fires, known in Indonesia as karhutla, and what he described as inadequate monitoring in areas prone to fires. Kamrussamad also referred to four contributing factors, but the source report did not specify what they were.
The discussion, titled “Two Years of the Prabowo-Gibran Administration,” addressed the government’s performance, challenges and policy direction. Gerindra’s criticism puts the handling of fire-prone areas on the political agenda, but the available account did not provide benchmarks the party used to assess the ministry’s work or details of specific prevention measures.
No reshuffle decision reported
The distinction is significant: Gerindra voiced support for an evaluation that could lead to a change in office, but the report included no presidential decision or official announcement of a reshuffle. It also contained no response from Raja Juli Antoni or the president.
For communities affected by fires, oversight and prevention can shape local conditions and daily activities. But the source offered no figures on the number of people affected, the locations of fires, or their health and economic costs. It also did not provide evidence to assess the scale of the minister’s performance or the effectiveness of the government’s response.
Information about respiratory illness and possible long-term effects appeared in a separate recommended headline on the source page, not in the main report. Those claims therefore could not be independently established from available reports.
Kamrussamad’s statement remains a call for the president to examine the ministry’s handling of fire-prone areas. “I believe we need to propose to the President that he seriously evaluate the forestry minister,” he said.
