In Brief from EastAsiaForum

On 15 July 2024, Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) Prime Minister James Marape visited Indonesia and met with outgoing president Joko Widodo and incoming president Prabowo Subianto. While the visit had symbolic and strategic importance for both countries, issues over human rights in Papua were overlooked.

Widodo’s government has sought to strengthen Indonesia’s steady presence in the Pacific region. PNG’s pivotal role in the region may help Indonesia to build closer relations with smaller Pacific countries. During the meetings, both leaders agreed to cooperate on transportation, electricity, education, trade, security and defence, prioritising economic ties while avoiding potentially divisive issues.

Securing a preferential trade agreement (PTA) is a crucial element to economic cooperation. Trade value between the two countries has increased in the past decade and PNG has become one of the largest recipients of Indonesian aid, grants and technical assistance. Any trade arrangement should serve mutual interests and positively contribute to sustainable bilateral relations. But since its first negotiation in 2019, Jakarta has expressed concerns over a PTA’s impact on its trade balance, especially since Indonesia has experienced trade deficits following the implementation of PTAs with over 40 countries.

Another crucial issue at the meeting was border cooperation. Both countries have improved border conditions in some areas, such as Keerom and Muara Tami in Papua as well as Vanimo and Sepik in PNG. Indonesia’s construction of substantial border facilities to support marketplace activity reflects its strong commitment to developing the area for the mutual benefit of both countries.

In the defence sector, both countries have ratified a long overdue 760-kilometre border agreement that slices through the middle of the island of New Guinea. The agreement allows both countries to jointly patrol the border and combat cross-border crime, including the operations of armed groups. For years, West Papua Liberation Army guerrillas have used neighbouring territory in PNG as a safe haven to build a support network and operational bases. By embracing PNG, Indonesia aims to contain the group’s movement. The challenge for PNG is whether its border patrolling capacity can support activities on the ground.

Marape also met president-elect Prabowo Subianto to discuss the future of Indonesia–PNG cooperation. For Marape, the conversation reaffirmed the commitment of Indonesia’s new administration to continue existing development initiatives, such as scholarships for PNG students and supplying energy to the country.

Slow economic growth since the emergence of COVID-19 and a dependence on Australia has prompted Marape to expand PNG’s investment alternatives. For Prabowo, Pacific regional concerns over Papua can be neutralised through increased diplomatic efforts. But despite his recent visit to PNG in August 2024, Prabowo’s regional commitment to the Pacific remains uncertain.

Marape’s visit was another missed opportunity to push for more transparency and accountability regarding the deteriorating human rights conditions in Papua. As mandated by the Melanesian Spearhead Group, Marape and Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka are West Papua envoys with the task to observe and consult with relevant parties in Jakarta and Papua and devise constructive pathways to address pressing issues in the area.

Marape’s meeting with Widodo happened shortly after MSG Director General Leonard Louma visited Papua. The visit sparked protests because there was neither meaningful consultation with other MSG leaders nor a meeting with Papuan political figures. At the 2024 Pacific Island Forum’s sideline meeting in Tonga, leaders of the MSG agreed to hold talks with Prabowo to address ongoing human rights concerns in Papua after failed envoys. It is still uncertain if Prabowo’s administration would agree to such a visit, including a trip to Papua, given Indonesia’s long record of blocking any meaningful involvement from the United Nations Human Rights Committee.

The current border agreement between Indonesia and PNG remains significant in boosting broader trade and development cooperation between both countries but it fails to move the needle on longstanding human rights issues in Papua. Marape’s visit concludes Widodo’s decade-long involvement in forging tangible cooperation between Indonesia and PNG despite regional concerns over Papua and growing geopolitical competition among major powers in the Pacific region.

In recent years, China has expanded its involvement in trade cooperation, infrastructure development and education in PNG. The United States and Australia have responded with a handful of initiatives, including more aid, grants and defence pacts. For Marape, such competition leaves more opportunities for PNG to diversify economic partners without dwelling on Papua’s political and human rights issues with Indonesia’s outgoing or incoming administration. Across the board, the relationship between Indonesia and PNG remains relatively stable.

Nikolaus Loy is Lecturer at Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran, Yogyakarta.

Hipolitus Wangge is Researcher at The Australian National University.