 Irwandi had spoken out amid the considerable attention that emerged in the wake of the Tripa peat swamp fires and the WALHI litigation.In reports on 5 April 2012, Irwandi claimed that the land grant, while legal, was 'immoral' yet intended by him to bring world attention to global inability to tackle global climate change, in effect destroying the Tripa forests to save them.Irwandi was quoted as saying, "That concession, 1,600 hectares, was like a pinch to the international community.