PRIME NEWS POST

The INDONESIAN, (SOLO) — Every October 28, the Indonesian nation repeats the same pledge it has made since 1928: one homeland, one nation, and one language. I recited these words since my days at the madrasah. Yet in recent years, I have begun to reconsider what the phrase “our homeland” truly means within the Youth Pledge.

In the past, we were taught that our homeland is the land we stand on and the water that sustains us. Today, I understand it more deeply. Our homeland includes the air we breathe, the forests that maintain nature’s balance, and the water sources that make life possible.

For if the land remains, but the air is no longer fit to breathe — what exactly are we preserving?

Two weeks ago, a friend living across Sumatra and Malaysia sent word. Around 3 PM, the sky turned yellow. Not because rain was coming, but because smoke had drifted in from Kalimantan. Masks were running low. Workers were sent home as cases of acute respiratory infections surged.

In that moment, I felt the meaning of the Youth Pledge being tested. Not because our love for Indonesia has faded — but because some of our people are struggling to secure the most fundamental right of all: safe air to breathe.

Misnaming the Problem

Almost every year, the cycle repeats. Headlines speak of “smoke disasters” and “haze calamities.” Yet this language troubles me — especially when the smoke comes from deliberate land-clearing fires.

A misfortune is something beyond human control. Floods from extreme rain are natural disasters. But when land is burned, year after year, in the same areas and in the same season — this pattern cannot simply be called a misfortune.

Human actions are involved. Laws may have been broken. Those responsible must be held accountable.

Calling it merely “misfortune” without identifying causes and perpetrators removes human responsibility from the picture. People are told to be patient, wear masks, and wait for rain — while the root causes remain untouched. We must not allow haze to become an accepted annual routine.

Read : PYM Panglima Gong Pendy Runca Applauds President Prabowo’s Firm Action on Kalimantan Land — Forest Fires

Who Gains, Who Pays?

Economically, the issue is straightforward. Burning land may seem like a cheap shortcut for a few — but the cost is borne by everyone else.

Children fall ill. Schools close. Flights are delayed. Economic activity slows. Forests and ecosystems are damaged.

Profits go to a handful; losses are shared by all. In economics, this is known as a negative externality: where the costs of an activity fall on those who never benefited from it.

As long as those who start fires face no real consequences or restoration costs, burning will remain an attractive option. Enforcement cannot end at putting out flames — those responsible must pay, including environmental restoration, as the law requires.

The State on Trial

Political philosopher Thomas Hobbes described the state’s purpose: to protect people and keep them safe from constant fear.

But what does the state mean when citizens face the same threat year after year — and nothing changes? This is not to dismiss the hard work of officials on the ground. Rather, the haze crisis should strengthen the state’s duty to protect its people.

Indonesia’s Constitution is clear. Article 28H(1) guarantees every person the right to a good and healthy environment. Clean air is not a luxury — it is a constitutional right.

When that right is threatened by fires and pollution, the state has a duty to prevent, investigate, and restore. Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni noted that between January–July 2026 alone, 283,270 respiratory cases were recorded across seven provinces — more than 63,000 among children under five. These figures must be verified, yet they serve as a stark warning: forest fires cost more than trees. They cost human health.

The Law Must Not Be Selective

Between January–October 2026, Police Criminal Investigation Agency reported 223 suspects named from 273 fire reports, covering roughly 5,157 hectares. Meanwhile, 9 companies were implicated in 98 separate cases involving approximately 25,600 hectares. These numbers need official confirmation — but if accurate, the public is entitled to ask: is accountability reaching everyone proportionally?

Read : Minang Diaspora Volunteers Demand Full Investigation into Soaring PAM Jaya Water Bills

Action must not stop at field workers. Authorities must trace responsibility up the chain — to those who made decisions, issued permits, and profited. This is not anti-business. Enterprise is vital to our economy. But it must operate responsibly. If hotspots repeatedly appear within concession areas, those claims deserve transparent investigation. Hotspots alone do not prove guilt — but they do demand evidence-based inquiry, open data, and equal enforcement for all.

Children Pay the Price

Imagine a child growing up in Kalimantan. Breathing polluted air, coughing, learning through the haze. That child never sat in on permit meetings. Never signed land-rights agreements. Never decided how forests would be managed. Yet their health bears the consequences of adult decisions.

This is intergenerational injustice. Those profiting today must not leave ruin for tomorrow’s generations. Philosopher Hans Jonas reminds us that our actions must respect the future of life itself. That principle applies here — children have a right to inherit a livable environment. Protecting our forests is therefore a moral duty.

The Pledge Must Be More Than Ceremony

As we approach October 28, we must ask: what is the point of unity if some cannot breathe? The youth of 1928 faced colonialism. Today’s youth face a different threat — the normalization of environmental destruction. When we say “it’s always smoky this time of year,” we are accepting what should be fixed.

The Youth Pledge means more than parades and speeches. If we are truly one nation — then smoke in Kalimantan concerns people in Sumatra, NTT, Java, and every corner of the archipelago. A sick child in Banjarmasin is our shared concern. Unity means no one stands alone in bearing environmental harm.

Three Non-Negotiable Steps

First: Follow accountability to the top — not just to those who lit fires, but to decision-makers and beneficiaries. Investigations must be evidence-based and impartial.

Second: Open data to the public — concession maps, hotspot data, legal findings, and enforcement updates must be accessible. Transparency builds trust and oversight.

Read : Pemuda Tinggar Urges Polda Banten to Fully Probe Alleged Molestation; Rejects Child Marriage

Third: Strengthen the voice of indigenous peoples and local communities — their generations of knowledge are vital partners in sustainable stewardship.

These steps will not solve everything overnight. But without firm enforcement, transparency, and community participation — we remain trapped in the same cycle.

Smoke Is Not Fate

In the end, the Youth Pledge is a promise of shared life. That promise rings hollow if our land burns, our forests vanish, and our air turns dangerous. Suffering must never be accepted as the price of progress. Development should improve life — not steal the right to breathe.

Calling smoke a “misfortune” without investigation is how we excuse injustice. Smoke is not destiny. Where human hands cause harm — there are truths to uncover, responsibilities to uphold, and damage to repair.

This year’s Youth Pledge must mean this: loving Indonesia means more than raising the flag. It means ensuring every child can breathe freely. Our shared homeland is not just lines on a map. It is the air, land, and water we protect — together.