Ipoh:Malaysia is still waiting for Indonesia's response to its offer to assist in extinguishing forest and land fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, which have resulted in transboundary haze, according to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, during a visit to Jakarta last month, Ahmad Zahid met with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and a representative of the Vice-President to discuss Malaysia's offer of assistance. Despite outreach from Malaysia's National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) and the Foreign Ministry to their Indonesian counterparts, there has been no response.

Ahmad Zahid remains optimistic, suggesting that the lack of response might indicate that Indonesia does not require assistance. He shared this perspective at the launch of National Preparedness Month 2026 at the Ipoh Convention Centre.

Malaysia has offered significant resources, including a firefighting aircraft, three helicopters, and 52 officers and personnel to aid in the firefighting efforts in Indonesia. Furthermore, Ahmad Zahid highlighted the readiness of the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) to provide international aid, having recently been deployed to Nepal to help locate 55 missing Malaysians.

He also praised SMART's achievements, noting its recognition as the second-best rescue team in Asia after Japan and its retention of the international Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) classification following a rigorous assessment.