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The Indonesian Consulate in Vanimo has moved a step further in promoting diplomatic relations with Papua New Guinea especially in the border provinces when it successfully signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Sandaun Provincial Administration to have the Indonesian language or Bahasa Indonesia taught in Vanimo especially for public servants to master the language.
On 10 February 2014, it began a programme in which Indonesian language lecturers from Cenderawasih University in Jayapura were deployed by the Indonesian Consulate to teach the Indonesian language for a period of up to 10 weeks. The Provincial Administrator, Henry Norm and a few officials from the Sandaun Administration travelled to Jayapura recently to sign the MOU with the Cenderawash University to pave the way for the Indonesian Language classes to commence.
The initiatives of the Indonesian Consulate to expand its diplomatic programmes to especially focus on the border province of West Sepik is a shift in the emphasis in which the civil society and the government organs or agencies of state are directly influenced by the Indonesian diplomats from the Indonesian Consulate who encourage the state organs to engage with the Indonesian Consulate in an atmosphere of mutual friendship not known to exist before. The Indonesian Consul – General in Vanimo has successfully launched four community approaches so far in promoting diplomatic programmes in the West Sepik, PNG’s border province sharing an international land border with Indonesia, including the Buai Festival, the Choir Festival, the Food Festival, and the Fun – Run which are on- going programmes intended to promote friendly ties between PNG’s border province of West Sepik and the Indonesian province of West Papua.
However, observers of the diplomatic or clandestine activities of the Indonesian Consulate say it is not yet clear if the initiatives of the Indonesian Consulate are in breach of international protocols, and an infringement of PNG’s Sovereignty by Indonesia in order to stem out the support for the Free West Papua Movement or the independence movement amongst West Sepik’s population who are sympathizers of the struggle for independence by West Papua. It is understood the Indonesian Consul – General in Vanimo is a Colonel of the Indonesian military and this is a breach of international protocols to promote neighborly relations between two countries who are not at war.
The Acting – Governor , Paul Nengai, met with the Indonesian Consul – General recently also but it is not yet known if his policies on the new phase of Indonesian diplomacy that is underway in West Sepik Province will be reviewed to reflect new approaches to diplomatic ties with Indonesia that differed from the policies put in place by the ousted Governor, Amkat Mai. The former Governor had been a close ally of the Indonesian Consul—General and facilitated the activities of the Indonesian Consulate in the past four years or so.
But according to one LLG President in the Sandaun Mixim WestPa Provincial Assembly, Max Makain, when commenting on the issue as President for West Wapei, direct intervention by the Indonesian Consulate in Vanimo in the governance issues of West Sepik Province was illegal and the Consul - General must be expelled or summoned to stop these spy activities on PNG soil.
The 'Sandaun Administration has priority areas that it has never touched, and the people in the rural areas are suffering due to lack of proper delivery mechanisms for too long.’
‘ There is no logic in learning Bahasa Indonesia when many public servants cannot communicate effectively, and therefore perform to expectations, due problems of communicating in the English Language, and this problem must be addressed first before mastering another language that is not globally spoken but limited to the Indonesian archipelago’
The LLG President for West Wapei added that it was time the Sandaun Administration looked at ways to grow the local economy through import substitution industries rather than fast – track the flow of the PNG kina into the Indonesian economy with the continued importation of foreign goods that can be replaced with locally – produced goods which was good for the local economy in West Sepik.
‘ The local economy of Vanimo, and West Sepik, is very weak because of the impact of imported goods from Indonesia that can be substituted with locally – made PNG products, and the Sandaun Provincial Administration must be seen to be addressing this problem rather than learning the Indonesian Language in order to consume more Indonesian products’
President Makain, who stands to be a Chairman in a possible new line - up of the PEC to be announced soon, complained yesterday about the Indonesian Consul - General again pressurizing the Provincial Administrator, Henry Norm, and his Deputy, Konrad Tilau, to have direct dialogue with the Presidents:
' I want your advice if it is proper for the Provincial Administrator and his agents to engage directly with the Indonesian Consulate. They told me to have lunch with the Indonesian Consul - General to discuss some things'
The President for West Wapei LLG was given a lecture on Indonesian politics and especially it's 'smiling foreign policy' by a senior staffer of the Governor's Office and he accepted the position, according to political theory, that all foreign missions from any sovereign state or quasi - sovereign state in the world was a spy agency reporting for the country it represents on foreign soil with a separate territorial dermarcation.
At the end of the day, it stands to be concluded that the Indonesian foreign mission in Vanimo has no further use as originally intended when the mission was opened in 1993 or 1994. The idea was to reduce misunderstanding, which has snow- balled into a direct assault on PNG's sovereignty much like the incursions at Torasi River in Western Province. Indonesia is not genuine in its diplomatic activities. And, as this photo shows, they are aready moving beyong the 200 no - man's land zone and right on the doorstep of PNG, breathing into our face. This is Wutung, Vanimo, where the NIO and other government agencies charged with national security are probably all bought off, and never talk about such incidents at the Joint Border Liaison Meetings.
PNG stopim nau!
