{
  "id": 5518500,
  "title": "Jerebu tak sudah, KJ bidas ‘republik pisang’ Indonesia",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/jerebu-tak-sudah-kj-bidas-republik-pisang-indonesia",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-04T07:02:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2026/09/04/jerebu-tak-sudah-kj-bidas-republik-pisang-indonesia"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Malaysian minister Khairy Jamaluddin has criticized Indonesia for its continued failure to control forest and land fires in Kalimantan, which has caused a severe fire crisis in Malaysia, particularly in Sarawak. Khairy blames the fires on weak enforcement by Indonesian authorities and the country's weak record in blaming environmental factors. He apologized earlier to his fellow Indonesians for the misfortune of living next to a country that is truly the third world power. He stated that while there are no problems in terms of enforcement, this is indeed a \"republic of bananas.\" Former Rembau MP Khairy said that environmental blame practices like frequent open field burning take years to address, while Jakarta's response to the issue is passive-reactive. He imposed a ban on fires and smoke plumes while pointing out the root causes such as weak enforcement, lack of corporate accountability, and the habit of cheap land clearing and land clearing. The environmental group Walhi in Indonesia said that the fires in Indonesia are largely caused by forest clearing for oil palm plantations, logging, and other land clearing activities. The group also noted that the situation worsens due to the El Nino phenomenon, which dries out the land, making it even more susceptible to fires. The air quality in Serian, Sarawak, reached dangerous levels when the Air Pollution Index (API) reached 521. Khairy also criticized ASEAN for failing to address the recurring fire crisis, which is endangering millions of people across Southeast Asia. The former Pemuda Umno leader said that the Border Security Treaty with Indonesia, signed by Jakarta, lacks teeth and accountability to curb the fire crisis. He pointed out that the treaty is built on cooperation, information sharing, capacity building, such as joint bomb exercises, scientific research without any barriers, and penalties or imprisonment for countries and companies involved from other nations. This means that we cannot take action against companies where fires are occurring, he said, while highlighting another issue is the principle of non-interference among ASEAN countries. Khairy also referred to Malaysia and Singapore's previous attempts to strengthen cross-border fire regulations by allowing civil action against companies with ties to forest and land fires. However, he said that enforcement against companies in Indonesia is largely symbolic. The issue remains an annual problem that I do not see a resolution for, he added.",
  "summary": "Bekas menteri itu kesal kerana rakyat Malaysia hidup 'berjiran satu negara yang betul-betul negara dunia ketiga'.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Jerebu tak sudah, KJ bidas ‘republik pisang’ Indonesia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/jerebu-tak-sudah-kj-bidas-republik-pisang-indonesia-5523763",
        "published": "2026-09-04T07:02:52.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}