Is Business Mogul Haji Isam in Charge of Wildfire Handling? What Palace Says

The Indonesian Presidential Palace has denied recent reports claiming President Prabowo Subianto has appointed billionaire businessman Haji Isam, also known as Haji Isam, to coordinate Kalimantan wildfire management. This assertion was made on Sunday, August 23, 2026, by Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi during an interview in Senayan, Jakarta.

Haji Isam, who holds the role of Presidential Special Envoy for Energy, Food, and Infrastructure, currently serves as a Gerindra Party politician but has not been officially designated as the coordinator for wildfire management efforts. According to Prasetyo, not every story circulating on social media is accurate, cautioning that relying on all viral information could lead to unforeseen complications.

Despite the misinformation, the central government has taken decisive action to tackle forest fires by mobilizing various minister-level state officials to serve as coordinators for disaster management across different regions. These officials are responsible for coordinating the disaster response in specific areas, including the ongoing forest fires in Kalimantan and the earthquakes in East Nusa Tenggara.

Prasetyo clarified that the government does not currently plan to establish a dedicated wildfire task force. Instead, they believe that cross-sector coordination among existing officials is adequate to address the issue effectively. The rumor of President Prabowo’s appointment of Haji Isam as the wildfire coordinator surfaced on social media, allegedly based on a phone call from the Minister of Defense on Saturday, August 22, 2026, at approximately 11:00 a.m. WITA (Central Indonesia Time).