The Guardian - China-Why you will never hear an Australian leader call out Indonesia on West Papua
September 27, 2023 4 min 740 words
这篇报道揭示了澳大利亚在维权和道德原则与地区政治和国际关系之间的权衡。澳大利亚选择不指责印度尼西亚在西巴布亚的人权侵犯，主要出于维护与印度尼西亚的关系，以及对中国在该地区不断扩大影响力的担忧。 这种政策决策确实引发了道德和伦理上的争议。西巴布亚的民众遭受着人权侵犯，他们在自己的土地上变成了难民，而澳大利亚却继续提供军事培训和支持给印度尼西亚。这显示了维护人权和地区稳定之间的矛盾。 然而，澳大利亚的决策也反映了当前国际政治中的现实，特别是中国的崛起。中国已经在该地区与一些国家建立了密切的关系，而澳大利亚对中国的战略扩张感到担忧。因此，澳大利亚试图与印度尼西亚保持亲近，以构建地区联盟，以便在紧张局势升级为冲突时更有安全感。 这个问题突显了国际政治中的复杂性，即维权和地缘政治之间的平衡。澳大利亚似乎在这个平衡中选择了后者，但这也引发了对其道义立场的质疑。最终，这篇报道引发了对国际政治和伦理道德的深刻思考。
As reported by the Guardian, Australia is seeking to strengthen its defence relationship with Indonesia, despite well-documented human rights abuses by the Indonesian military in West Papua.
As tens of thousands of West Papuan civilians are turned into refugees in their own land and innocents are allegedly tortured and gunned down by Indonesian soldiers, Australia is embarking on further training and support for the Indonesian military and its counter-terrorism police.
Human rights considerations appear to have been pushed down the list of diplomatic priorities.
Indeed, it is an open secret in the defence department that some would welcome an even closer relationship than is currently being negotiated with Indonesia. The view is that the more defence cooperation Australia has with regional neighbours, including Indonesia, the safer it would feel should tensions between the US and China spill over into open conflict.
A formal military alliance with Indonesia – which would enact mutual national security obligations – is unlikely, however, because Indonesia still harbours suspicions about Australia as a trusted friend following the 1999 Timor-Leste intervention. Indonesia is also wary of being drawn into a war not of its choosing, and its military orientation is still largely internally focused.
Indonesia has undergone significant reforms since the Suharto era. It has regular, transparent elections, a free and fairly robust media and, outside West Papua, a military that has also undergone some reform.
Yet “money politics” continues to prevail in Indonesian politics, restrictive legislation has been passed in recent years and there remains huge disparities in wealth. Further, the Indonesian military effectively ceased its own, incomplete, reform process around 2007.
The military may be under civilian control, but it continues to fund some of its activities through its own business interests. Its minister, Prabowo Subianto, is a former military hardliner with extensive human rights skeletons rattling around his own closet.
Critically, too, Prabowo is running a very close second to Ganjar Pranowo for Indonesia’s 2024 presidential elections. With both candidates having less than 30% support, a solidifying of the presidential race over coming months could see Prabowo take the lead.
A man widely accused of being a human rights abuser could become the president of the country Australia wants to be closer to.
The calculation behind Australia’s closeness to Indonesia focuses on China’s assertive strategic reach. China has very close relations with Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, and has recently extended its illegal claim – and built up its bases – in the South China Sea. It has also been building stronger relationships in the Pacific as well as south Asia and east Africa, in what is referred to as the String of Pearls strategy.
Closer to home, China signed new economic and defence agreements with Timor-Leste this week. This follows China’s earlier, high profile investments in diplomacy and defence cooperation with the young nation.
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After 15 years of overspending, and its oil-base sovereign wealth fund running dry, Timor-Leste’s economy is expected to run out of money in about a decade. Australia’s small neighbour is now looking for any new friends that might assist with a soft economic landing.
Timor-Leste also sees its strategic security being enhanced by having several powerful friends, rather than being dominated by one or two countries. China ticks a few important boxes.
Australia regards China’s diplomatic, economic and strategic reach in the region with considerable discomfort and some alarm. This has caused reflection on how Australia has taken for granted and sometimes abused regional relationships. After a couple of decades of trashing many of them, Australia is now playing diplomatic catch-up.
Part of this catch-up is for Australia to not further alienate countries it wishes to have as friends and strategic partners. Hence Australia is reluctant to question, much less criticise, Indonesia on human rights grounds.
The longsuffering people of West Papua, marginalised and abused in their own land, are therefore being sacrificed on the altar of real politik.
Damien Kingsbury is an emeritus professor at Deakin University and has published widely on regional political and security issues