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In its latest effort to neutralise Pacific support for the independence movement in West Papua, Indonesia granted Fiji US$6 million in financial aid and offered to cooperate with them on military training, during a bilateral meeting in Jakarta, on April 24.

“There's no need to be burdened by debt,” said Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka during the meeting at Merdeka Palace.

More significantly, Rabuka pledged Fiji's respect for Indonesian sovereignty — diplomatic code for abandoning West Papua's struggle for self-determination.

This aligns perfectly with Indonesia’s Law No. 2 of 2023, which established frameworks for defence cooperation, including joint research, technology transfer and military education between the two nations. This isn't merely a partnership; it’s ideological assimilation.

Indonesia's financial generosity comes with unwritten expectations. By integrating Fijian forces into Indonesian military training programs, Jakarta aims to export its anti-separatist doctrine, which frames Papuan resistance as criminal insurgency rather than legitimate political expression. The US$6 million isn't aid; it’s a strategic investment in regional complicity.

Geopolitics

Indonesia's manoeuvres must be understood in the context of escalating global tensions. The rivalry between the United States and China has transformed the Indo-Pacific into a strategic battleground, leaving Pacific Island nations caught between competing spheres of influence. Although Jakarta is officially “non-aligned”, it is playing both sides to secure its territorial ambitions.

Its aid to Fiji is one move in a comprehensive regional strategy to diplomatically isolate West Papua. By strengthening economic and military ties with strategically positioned nations, Indonesia is systematically undermining Papuan representation in important forums such as the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), and the United Nations General Assembly.

While the world focuses on superpower competition, Indonesia is quietly strengthening its position on what it considers an internal matter, effectively removing West Papua from international discourse.

Another significant yet less examined relationship is Indonesia's growing partnership with Russia, particularly in defense technology, intelligence sharing, and energy cooperation, as reported in the Jakarta Post. This relationship provides Jakarta with advanced military capabilities and reduces its dependence on Western powers and China.

Russia’s view that Crimea and Ukraine form part of its territory makes it an ideal partner for Indonesia's West Papua policy. Moscow’s diplomatic support strengthens Jakarta’s argument that separatist movements are internal security issues rather than legitimate independence struggles.

Balancing relations with Washington, Beijing and Moscow allows Indonesia to pursue regional dominance with minimal international backlash. Each superpower, focused on countering the others’ influence, overlooks Indonesia’s systematic suppression of Papuan self-determination.

Crossroads

Historically having advocated for Melanesian solidarity, Fiji now faces economic incentives to remain silent on Indonesian human rights abuses. A similar pattern emerges across the Pacific as Jakarta extends these types of arrangements to other regional players.

It's not just about temporary diplomatic alignment; it's about the structural transformation of regional politics. When Pacific nations integrate their security apparatuses with Indonesia's, they inevitably adopt Jakarta’s security narratives. Resistance movements are labelled “terrorist threats”, independence advocates are branded “destabilising elements” and human rights concerns are dismissed as “foreign interference”, according to the West Papua Action Network.

Most alarmingly, military cooperation provides Indonesia with channels to export its counter-insurgency techniques, which are frequently criticised by human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, for their brutality. Security forces in the Pacific trained in these approaches may eventually use them against their own Papuan advocacy groups.

Jakarta has effectively purchased Fiji's diplomatic loyalty, military alignment and ideological compliance for just US$6 million — a fraction of Indonesia's defence budget. This exemplifies how economic incentives increasingly override moral considerations such as human rights, indigenous sovereignty and the decolonisation principles that once defined Pacific regionalism.

The path ahead for West Papua is increasingly treacherous, with repression rising. Unless Pacific nations reconnect with their anti-colonial heritage and the values that secured their independence, West Papua's struggle risks fading into obscurity, overwhelmed by geopolitical calculations and economic incentives.

Will Pacific nations remain true to their foundational values of indigenous solidarity and decolonisation? Or will they sacrifice these principles on the altar of transactional diplomacy?

The Pacific is at a crossroads: it can either reclaim its voice or resign itself to becoming a theatre where greater powers dictate the fate of indigenous peoples. For West Papua, everything depends on which path is chosen.

[Ali Mirin is from West Papua’s Kimyal tribe, in the highlands that share a border with Papua New Guinea’s Star Mountain region. He holds a Master of Arts in International Relations from Flinders University.]