Politicians and voters in Melanesian countries often see the West Papuan issue very differently, according to a Professor of Pacific Island politics in New Zealand.
West Papua becoming a domestic issue within Melanesia (Credit: ABC)
John Fraenkel, from Victoria University in Wellington, says the fact that West Papua has become a domestic issue in Vanuatu politics shows how significant it is.
The opposition is challenging the government in Vanuatu, and one of it's main reasons for doing so is that it alleges the ruling coalition is not supporting the mainly Melanesian and Christian population of the Indonesian province of Papua.
Jon Fraenkel tells Bruce Hill that something which had been seen as a foreign affairs issue is becoming something of a domestic issue in Melanesian politics.
Presenter: Bruce Hill.
Speaker:Professor Jon Fraenkel, from the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.
FRAENKEL: It's often the case that international or regional policy issues are fought out in domestic politics in some of the Melanesian states, it's also the case in Vanuatu that the difference between support and Opposition to the government of Frank Bainimarama in Fiji has been an issue between government and Opposition and now it's playing out on the West Papua side. And I think one of the reasons why there's some change away from the Vanuatu Government sympathy for the West Papuan secessionist cause, well first it's because of increased into Indonesian diplomacy in the region, secondly perhaps it's because Indonesia itself has changed over the last decade, with a shift towards democracy. And thirdly, it's also because of a recognition that there are complexities in the situation of the policy stance towards the position of West Papua and Papua in Indonesia.
HILL: Most of the ordinary people of Melanesian seem to have a great deal of sympathy for what they see is the West Papuan cause. They see that half of New Guinea Island is Wanpela graun, you know they see them as Wantoks. Why is it that this view of the ordinary people doesn't seem to translate through into that the government see it. Is it to do with aid from Indonesia, is it to do with security concerns, especially with PNG having a very long border with Indonesia?
FRAENKEL: I think there's little knowledge about what's actually within Melanesia, that what's actually going on inside Indonesia or inside West Papua and to the extent that there are any contact, it tends to be with representatives of the Independence Movement. It's worked very well. There are different strands of opinion within West Papua and there certainly have been strands of opinion within the West Papuan Movement that have been pressing for a greater degree of autonomy, a greater degree of self-government. They're allied to various Indonesian forces. Although there is a strong independence movement and electoral trends tend to show considerable backing for the independence position within West Papua and nevertheless, there are different positions as well about how to adjust to and negotiate with Jakarta.
HILL: What role does West Papua really play in the internal debate within Indonesia? It's something we don't often hear about here in the Pacific. I mean the popular idea is that a lot of the people in Indonesia were so terrified when they lost East Timor, that they think there's some sort of conspiracy to break West Papua away from the republic which is why they seem to be clinging even tighter to it.
FRAENKEL: Well, this is a very strong sense of West Papua being part of the core of Indonesia, that it's, that Indonesian nation is inconceivable without West Papua. Of course, that might change if there were a strengthening of the independence movement or further difficulties within Indonesia, but I think it's certainly very important in the military, for example, and the political elite to keep hold of West Papua.
HILL: What is Indonesia's sort of diplomatic stance towards the Pacific? Do they see Melanesia as always somehow a little bit of opposed to them because of West Papua or do they see it as a potential source of ally?
FRAENKEL: Well, it's directly I think there's been very little engagement on the part of Indonesia towards the Pacific Islands. I remember a few years ago when just prior to the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands started. There was a lot of hype about Indonesia perhaps making some offer to the Solomon Islands that they would go and I don't see any evidence of this. I think there was. Indonesia is much more concerned about its own internal issues and its position in South East Asia and not so concerned really with its Melanesian diplomacy, although there has been some increase over recent months. I wouldn't put too much emphasis on that.
Of course, some Indonesian officials also have been in some degree and advising the military government in Fiji.
source: radioaustralia.net.au
West Papua becoming a domestic issue within Melanesia (Credit: ABC)
John Fraenkel, from Victoria University in Wellington, says the fact that West Papua has become a domestic issue in Vanuatu politics shows how significant it is.
The opposition is challenging the government in Vanuatu, and one of it's main reasons for doing so is that it alleges the ruling coalition is not supporting the mainly Melanesian and Christian population of the Indonesian province of Papua.
Jon Fraenkel tells Bruce Hill that something which had been seen as a foreign affairs issue is becoming something of a domestic issue in Melanesian politics.
Presenter: Bruce Hill.
Speaker:Professor Jon Fraenkel, from the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.
FRAENKEL: It's often the case that international or regional policy issues are fought out in domestic politics in some of the Melanesian states, it's also the case in Vanuatu that the difference between support and Opposition to the government of Frank Bainimarama in Fiji has been an issue between government and Opposition and now it's playing out on the West Papua side. And I think one of the reasons why there's some change away from the Vanuatu Government sympathy for the West Papuan secessionist cause, well first it's because of increased into Indonesian diplomacy in the region, secondly perhaps it's because Indonesia itself has changed over the last decade, with a shift towards democracy. And thirdly, it's also because of a recognition that there are complexities in the situation of the policy stance towards the position of West Papua and Papua in Indonesia.
HILL: Most of the ordinary people of Melanesian seem to have a great deal of sympathy for what they see is the West Papuan cause. They see that half of New Guinea Island is Wanpela graun, you know they see them as Wantoks. Why is it that this view of the ordinary people doesn't seem to translate through into that the government see it. Is it to do with aid from Indonesia, is it to do with security concerns, especially with PNG having a very long border with Indonesia?
FRAENKEL: I think there's little knowledge about what's actually within Melanesia, that what's actually going on inside Indonesia or inside West Papua and to the extent that there are any contact, it tends to be with representatives of the Independence Movement. It's worked very well. There are different strands of opinion within West Papua and there certainly have been strands of opinion within the West Papuan Movement that have been pressing for a greater degree of autonomy, a greater degree of self-government. They're allied to various Indonesian forces. Although there is a strong independence movement and electoral trends tend to show considerable backing for the independence position within West Papua and nevertheless, there are different positions as well about how to adjust to and negotiate with Jakarta.
HILL: What role does West Papua really play in the internal debate within Indonesia? It's something we don't often hear about here in the Pacific. I mean the popular idea is that a lot of the people in Indonesia were so terrified when they lost East Timor, that they think there's some sort of conspiracy to break West Papua away from the republic which is why they seem to be clinging even tighter to it.
FRAENKEL: Well, this is a very strong sense of West Papua being part of the core of Indonesia, that it's, that Indonesian nation is inconceivable without West Papua. Of course, that might change if there were a strengthening of the independence movement or further difficulties within Indonesia, but I think it's certainly very important in the military, for example, and the political elite to keep hold of West Papua.
HILL: What is Indonesia's sort of diplomatic stance towards the Pacific? Do they see Melanesia as always somehow a little bit of opposed to them because of West Papua or do they see it as a potential source of ally?
FRAENKEL: Well, it's directly I think there's been very little engagement on the part of Indonesia towards the Pacific Islands. I remember a few years ago when just prior to the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands started. There was a lot of hype about Indonesia perhaps making some offer to the Solomon Islands that they would go and I don't see any evidence of this. I think there was. Indonesia is much more concerned about its own internal issues and its position in South East Asia and not so concerned really with its Melanesian diplomacy, although there has been some increase over recent months. I wouldn't put too much emphasis on that.
Of course, some Indonesian officials also have been in some degree and advising the military government in Fiji.
source: radioaustralia.net.au
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