Indigenous and civil society groups in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan have criticised the national government for its absence at the initial hearing of a class-action lawsuit accusing it of negligence in handling recurring forest and land fires. The court session, held on Wednesday in Pontianak, the provincial capital on Borneo, was postponed until October 21 after government representatives failed to appear.

The legal action, brought by local communities including the Dayak ethnic group, alleges that the government did not take sufficient preventive measures or respond effectively to the fires, which have caused severe haze and environmental damage in the region. Indonesia is currently experiencing its worst wildfire season in over a decade, mainly affecting Sumatra and Borneo. Officials have warned that the blazes, exacerbated by an ongoing El Niño weather pattern, may persist into November.

Yakobus Kumis, a lead plaintiff representing the Dayak community, expressed frustration over the government’s no-show, suggesting it signals disregard for legal accountability. “They did not show up. This is a way of the central government teaching the people that violating the law is okay,” he said. Kumis also criticised the government for ignoring early warning signs before the fires escalated and called for the situation to be formally declared a national disaster.

Attempts to obtain comment from the presidential office were unsuccessful. The case highlights growing tensions between local communities directly affected by environmental damage and the central government’s management of the fires, which annually cause health, economic, and ecological challenges across the region.