Residents in Indonesian Borneo have spent more than four months keeping their children indoors beneath a dense canopy of wildfire smoke.
Kurniawan, a 35-year-old resident of Central Kalimantan province, now regrets voting for Prabowo Subianto. “We had high hopes that his government would operate efficiently under one command,” Kurniawan told The Sydney Morning Herald. “I am very, very disappointed.”
The fires, driven by El Niño conditions and agricultural clearing, rank among the worst on record in Indonesia. The administration has declined to declare the blazes a national disaster, a step that would streamline foreign aid access.
“The situation has gotten so severe – yet instead of empathy, the government is turning a blind eye to our suffering,” said Rama, a resident of Sumatra who has developed chest pains and breathing difficulties from the air quality. Rama, like others interviewed, asked to be identified only by part of his name.
Haze from the forest fires has drifted across national borders to Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines, prompting concerns over a potential regional health crisis. Within Indonesia, the smoke has exacerbated cost-of-living pressures for millions.
Prabowo’s approval ratings have dropped as the crisis and economic strain continue. One survey noted his support fell from 81.2 per cent in November 2025 to 44.5 per cent last month.
Indonesians feel stressed by rising prices and job scarcity
A separate poll indicated that three-quarters of Indonesians feel stressed by current government policies, pointing to elevated prices and limited job availability. Dissatisfaction has surfaced in street rallies, where demonstrators have adopted the three-finger salute from The Hunger Games under the hashtag #indonesiasadar, or “Wake Up, Indonesia.”
Financial firms have also flagged structural concerns. MSCI recently indicated it is considering classifying Indonesia as unsafe for investment, causing local stocks and the rupiah to slide.
“Despite having a demographic bonus, abundant natural resources and the potential for progress, we seem to be going nowhere,” said Achmad Nur Hidayat, an economics lecturer at University of Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jakarta, told The Sydney Morning Herald. “Our development is driven not by rationality, but by political consolidation.”
Prabowo has faced persistent accusations of cronyism regarding the allocation of major national projects to political allies and family members, including his brother, Hashim Djojohadikusumo. The president has denied these claims.
Defiant Response from the Administration
Addressing critics last month in Jakarta, Prabowo defended his administration’s trajectory against external pressure.
“Our country continues to face all sorts of disturbances, for instance, the actions of MSCI,” Prabowo said in a speech covered by The Sydney Morning Herald. “They are trying to intimidate us. We keep being obstructed, right?”
“The Indonesian nation fears no one and will not flinch. "If necessary, we will implement large-scale austerity measures," Prabowo said.”
Gunawan, a 61-year-old resident of Jakarta who supported Prabowo in the election due to his association with former leader Joko Widodo, expressed remorse over the outcome.
“We did wrong, that’s why we have to speak up, voice our regrets,” Gunawan told The Sydney Morning Herald. “What we are seeing now is a regime with no vision other than enriching its own circle and the oligarchs.”
