A former Indonesian minister returns to social media to stridently, but confusingly defend his country.
\n\nImage via Mothership & Muhammad Lutfi/Facebook
\n\nWith the haze affecting Singapore for well over a month now, and conditions in Kalimantan and Sumatra, where the haze originates, resulting in dystopian scenes, there has been no shortage of people casting about for parties to blame.
\n\nWorse yet, the Kalimantan and Sumatran forest fires aren’t even the only major crises the country is facing this week, with MSCI, a global index provider, threatening to remove Indonesia from its emerging-market classification, a devastating move.
\n\nWith the twin crises, one man has found a solution: former Indonesian trade minister and ambassador to the United States Muhammad Lutfi suggests blaming Singapore and Malaysia.
\n\nBut who is Lutfi, what is he accusing Singapore of, and why are his own countrymen calling his claims “nonsensical”?
\n\nMuhammad Lutfi served as Indonesia’s trade minister in two stints, once in 2014, and again between 2020 and 2022.
\n\nHis first stint came at the end of former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's final term, leaving office in October 2014 as incoming president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo appointed his own cabinet.
\n\nBut it was his second stint that…
Original source: https://mothership.sg/
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