In his speech, Gamawan asked the newly installed governor to solve the annual issue of forest and peatland fires and the resultant thick haze polluting the province and its surrounding areas.

'€œThe haze cost us dearly economically. Due to the closure of the airport, VIPs and businesspeople have canceled their appointments in the province,'€ said Gamawan.

"This has to be thoroughly settled. Put a stop to the annual quarrel with our neighbors," he said, referring to Singapore and Malaysia, which often bear the brunt of the haze.

According to him, Riau needed a unifying concept to unite all elements of society to ensure the problem was solved.

"Everyone must be empowered ['€¦] A fire, however small, must be extinguished as soon as possible," he said.

Aside from mining, Riau has the largest area of oil palm plantations in Indonesia.

"From here we can imagine the extent of wealth Riau has [...] If its people remain poor, there must be something wrong," he said. (yln)

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