en.malanginspirasi.com – In a rare linguistic appeal during budget debate on October 21, Bersatu Member of Parliament (MP) of Malaysia Kalam Salan addressed Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto directly in Javanese, calling for immediate action to extinguish forest fires and end the annual haze crisis affecting both nations.
Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat, Salan urged Prabowo to prioritise putting out the blazes, halt the yearly practice of open burning, and strengthen ASEAN cooperation to tackle the transboundary pollution.
He opened the statement by asking permissions to speak in Javanese.
“Kepemimpinan sebelah sana (Indonesia), yang kebanyakan orang Jawa tak paham cakap bahasa Melayu. Biarlah saya dengan izin parliament bercakap dalam bahasa Jawa (Indonesian officials are mostly Javanese who might not understand Malay language, so kindly give permission for me to speak in Javanese),” he said.
“Assalamualaikum Prabowo, pripun kabar e, mugi diparingi sehat (Salam Prabowo, how are you, hope you are always healthy,” he mentioned his first sentence.
He continued that he wanted to remind that the haze from Indonesia has made Malaysian people in terrible condition.
“Sekolah tutup, pariwisata dadi sepi. Lan wong-wong sing kerjo ning kebun ora iso budal kerjo (Schools are closed, we’re running out of tourists and people find it hard to work daily),” he continued
The haze, originating primarily from fires in Indonesia’s Kalimantan and Sumatra regions, has forced school closures across parts of Malaysia, damaged tourism, and worsened respiratory health for residents and outdoor workers on both sides of the border.
The moment quickly circulated on social media.
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Users praised the MP’s direct and culturally pointed approach, with many joking that Javanese had unexpectedly become an effective diplomatic tool.
The clip gained traction amid ongoing regional friction, as President Prabowo has pushed back against criticism from neighbouring countries over Indonesia’s handling of the seasonal fires.
The annual haze has long strained Malaysia-Indonesia relations and tested ASEAN’s environmental mechanisms. Salan’s intervention, delivered in the language closely associated with Javanese culture and Indonesia’s political elite, stood out for its personal tone during what is normally a domestic budgetary discussion.
As the smoke continues to affect air quality and daily life, the MP’s call underscores growing public frustration with the recurring problem and the hope that high-level engagement—regardless of the language used—might prompt faster regional action.
