It's About Vanuatu and Salomon Island Maneuvers in Papua Issues

Delegation of Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands in the momentum of the UN Human Rights Council 34th Session in Geneva, Switzerland on Friday, March 3, 2017, re-create the maneuvering provokatif.

Statement Minister of Justice and Community Development Vanuatu, Ronald Warsal, on the issue of human rights violations in Papua and request that the UN special mission to investigate, clearly erroneous, unsupported by empirical knowledge, data and facts updated on the progress of development in Papua.

Therefore, this allegation is more like a political propaganda to discredit Indonesia than real solidarity as a nation clumps of Melanesia, and can be interpreted as political support for separatism carried by a handful of Papuan independence activists.

Hostile action is not the first, in the Meeting of the 25th UN Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland, March 4, 2014, the Prime Minister of Vanuatu, Moana carcasses accused the Indonesian military responsible for human rights violations in Papua and asked the UN to send an envoy to investigate alleged tersebut.Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands also actively maneuver using the issue of human rights violations in Papua as a tool to garner support from other small countries such as Nauru, Palau, the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Tongapada General Assembly of the United nations (UN) that all 71 in 2016. There Moreover, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands also take advantage of the forum Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) to support separatism in Papua.
 
Political provocation in Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands showed immaturity in international diplomacy and could be interpreted as an aggression on the sovereignty of Indonesia recognized and protected by international law applicable. Actionwas tarnish the close relationship that exists between Indonesia and the countries members of the MSG as an agreement in January 2014 to support each other's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, as well as abide by the UN Charter to not mutually interfere in the internal affairs of each (non-interference).

Thus, it can be understood if MSG member countries such as Fiji and Papua New Guinea refused to intervene in the issue of Papua, and a different direction with Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands.

Irony of Double Standards

Not a lot of strategic potential that can be expected of a country with a population of tens to hundreds of thousands only. However, the interests of solidarity as clumps of Melanesia and develop its foreign policy in the region would be another consideration in establishing a partnership with the Pacific island nation. Keep in mind, Indonesia is the largest country dengan11 million inhabitants of Melanesia, the number were exceeded the total of the entire population of Melanesia in the Pacific Islands.

Commitment to the Pacific Islands region has shown the Indonesian government through foreign aid sebesarUS $ 2 million for post-disaster recovery Vanuatu storm in 2015. Indonesia also welcomed the statement of Foreign Minister of Vanuatu, Sato Kilman Meltek Livtunvanu when the 60th anniversary of the Asian-African Conference in 2015, that government tend to open embassy in Jakarta. Meanwhile, the Solomon Islands, economic cooperation and trade increased by an average of about 17.28% per year over the past five years, with a total trade volume reached US $ 15.88 million in 2012, a surplus of about US $ 9.1 million for Indonesia. Indonesia also supports the establishment of an office on Solomon Island Embassy in Jakarta in 2014.

Viewed diplomatic relations and increasing cooperation is of course contradicts the attitude of countries in the Pacific islands, particularly Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands who often discredit Indonesia with the issue of human rights violations. Both countries are deliberately manipulating clump Melanesian solidarity to support Papuan independence activists, as well as interfering in the domestic affairs of Indonesia. The attitude is a double standard in their foreign policy and contrary to statements often made in a bilateral meeting with Indonesia.

George Milner Tozaka, Solomon Islands Foreign Minister on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly 71st, 2016 expressed his country's commitment to respect the territorial integrity of NKRI and abide by the UN Charter on non-interference policy. Neither Vanuatu has also signed a Development Cooperation Agreement (DCA) with Indonesia in 2011 as a framework for a more stable partnership based on mutual benefit and respect. Both Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands should be aware that unsubstantiated allegations of human rights violations will only backfire and reveals the irony of domestic conditions of both countries underdeveloped.

Vanuatu needs to focus on domestic shattered and conflict-ridden politics. Throughout the period of five years has occurred nine times the turnover of power from Prime Minister Edward Natapei (2008) to Moana carcasses (2013) due to conflicts between the government and opposition. The situation has dragged the issue of Papua as a political commodity in order to attract the support of Papuan communities in Vanuatu. Vanuatu domestic interest's handful of politicians has put Papua as a strategic issue, including the reasons behind Vanuatu's support to the organization's West Papua National Coalition for Liberation (WPNCL). Vanuatu has a domestic problem that is complex and demanding responsibilities of government, especially poverty, corruption, discrimination and human rights violations.

The double standard is also shown by the Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sograve yangaktif support ULMWP become a full member of MSG. In fact, the delegation of the Solomon Islands in the Session of UN Human Rights Council session was 32nd in June 2016 had issued a statement which contradicts the principle of mutual respect and non-interference in each country with the support of the International Parliament for West Papua (IPWP), and proposed a UN investigation on the issue of human rights violations in Papua.

Solomon Islands Government forget the facts of human rights violations in the communal conflict between the inhabitants of Guadalcanal to Malaita result of development gaps. Human rights issues were also revealed in the recommendations revealed by the UN Special Rapporteur, Rashida Manjoo (2012), in order to take the role of government to overcome massive violations of human rights of women and children, gender inequality and discrimination against access to justice.

The UN Special Rapporteur also found astonishing facts about violence against 64% of women in the age range 15-49 years, both sexual and physical violence, and the absence of adequate regulation to ensure access to human rights protection, especially for women and children in the country with a population of 600 thousands people.

Need Diplomatic Pressure

In The Right Answer, African countries assess Vanuatu have politicized human rights, interfere in domestic affairs and territorial integrity of Indonesia as a member of the United Nations. As for Venezuela, chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, menyatakanbahwa every country has the sovereign right to address domestic issues, including international Indonesia. Komunitas assess much progress has been achieved in Indonesia, both in the construction and protection of human rights in Papua.

The international community, especially Europe will not be sympathetic to the provocation Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. Europe will choose to focus cope with economic shocks and potential separatism certainly do not want to bothered by other nations, such as Catalonia in Spain, Basque in France and Spain, Flandeers in Belgium, Padana, Venice, North Tyrol in Italy, Northern Ireland in the UK.
 
Firm response of the Indonesian delegation to maneuver Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands should be appreciated and should support by all element in Indonesia. It need to concerted measures to counter the politicization of the issue of Papua at home and abroad. The government needs to look at the reaction of separatism supporters will use the momentum to garner opinions as though they had international support.

For example is Tabloid Jubi is Editor in Chief of his, Victor Mambror, covering Session UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, it news highly distortive with opinions as if there is agreement in the international community about the special mission of the UN in Papua and the support of World Council of Churches (WCC) against investigation the issue of human rights violations, the facts about the strong reaction from the international community against the politicization of human rights issues by Vanuatu in fact not disclosed.

Indonesia needs to evaluate diplomatic relations and cooperation with Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands and other Pacific islands countries that show hostility and interfere in the domestic affairs through the Ministry of Foreign of Indonesia.

Government need to ask for an explanation of the diplomatic representatives of Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands on provocation in the Human Rights Council at the United Nations. Dialing options such as Indonesia diplomatic representation in both countries, the decline in status to the freezing of diplomatic relations, and the implementation status of persona non grata on diplomats of the two countries needs to be considered further.

The Indonesian government should not hesitate in the face of any country that threatens national sovereignty, especially from troubled countries such as Vanuatu and Solomon Island. Indonesian will fully support the government's move to maintain the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Indonesia recognized and protected by international laws and regulations.

*) The author is a researcher at the Center of Strategic Intelligence Risk Assessment (Cersia), Jakarta. Alumnus from the graduate program of study MSG University of Indonesia (UI).