East Kalimantan governor faces backlash for Singapore trip while province is affected by severe haze

SINGAPORE: A photo of the Governor of East Kalimantan having breakfast with his wife at Marina Bay Sands over the weekend has gone viral. Some netizens questioned why Governor Rudy Mas'ud and his wife, Sarifah Suraidah, had taken the trip while the province continues to be severely affected by haze conditions.

The backlash sparked a response from the Provincial Government of East Kalimantan, which said that Mr Mas’ud had been in Singapore for a routine check-up at Mount Elizabeth Hospital. It added that the trip had taken place during the weekend, and that the Governor had taken it with the approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Mr Mas’ud and Ms Sarifah were said to have returned to Jakarta by Monday.

The photo was allegedly taken on Sunday (Oct 11), on the same weekend as the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix. It shows the Governor seated at a dining table at RISE restaurant wearing a dark shirt across from a woman wearing a dark dress with a floral pattern and a wide-brimmed black hat.

A well-known Indonesian content creator, @zumaahmd, posted the photo on Threads on Monday, and in the caption, he called Ms Sarifah, a Member of Parliament in Indonesia, the country’s “own Marie Antoinette.” 

His post has since gone on to be widely shared and commented on, which should come as no surprise given the suffering of East Kalimantans due to the haze.

One commenter tagged Al-Jazeera and wrote, “Please report this: the Governor of East Kalimantan is having breakfast at the Marina by Sands hotel while his people are dying as they breathe in haze from the Kalimantan forest fires. Sooooooo heartless and inhumane.”

Another commented, “Just scream, ‘Hey, there's the Governor of East Kalimantan, a region that's currently experiencing deforestation, which also causes air pollution in Singapore and Malaysia!!! What a great vacation!!’" 

“Why are you guys letting these Kalimantan governors come to Singapore while Kalimantan is literally burning? Singaporeans and Malaysians are choking on the haze, yet you’re still welcoming them?” a Threads user chimed in. /TISG

Read also: Bilahari Kausikan questions Indonesia’s response to haze, says government can do more