Navigating Uncertainty: Why Indonesia Needs a National Maritime Strategy

Not like President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, Indonesia’s new president, Prabowo Subianto, has but to introduce a coherent nationwide maritime technique. In truth, following his inauguration in October, Prabowo started his administration by dissolving one in all Jokowi’s predominant maritime legacies: the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Funding (Marves).

Established throughout Jokowi’s second time period in 2019, Marves was essential for harmonizing the nation’s method to maritime affairs, notably in gentle of clashing personalities and public feuds between ministers. One instance of this was the dispute between Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Susi Pudjiastuti and Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the coordinating minister for maritime affairs and funding, over points akin to sustainable fishing and the combative stance that Susi took towards overseas fishing vessels.

Marves mirrored Jokowi’s advert hoc method to tough points, akin to entrenched maritime pursuits, and his administration relied on sturdy ministers like Luhut, appointed the primary coordinating minister for maritime affairs and funding in 2019, who might restrain different actors from undermining the important thing nationwide priorities set by Jokowi. Moreover, Marves embodied Jokowi’s maritime outlook, which emphasised a decent nexus between the safety and financial domains, albeit with financial priorities usually taking precedence over safety pursuits, notably in relation to key companions akin to China. Thus, the dissolution of Marves ought to be seen as a major departure from this method by Prabowo, notably when it comes to his method to the connection between financial and safety points.

How, then, ought to we interpret Indonesia’s method to maritime points beneath Prabowo?

The Home Politics Behind Maritime Technique

As the most important archipelagic nation on this planet, maritime affairs will not be solely a significant useful resource for Indonesia’s prosperity and safety but in addition an vital side of the nation’s nationwide identification. Almost all Indonesian presidents have given institutional consideration to maritime governance in a single kind or one other.

Beneath the nation’s first president, Sukarno, Indonesia first launched the archipelagic idea by the Djuanda Declaration, which aimed not solely to create a geographic unity throughout the borders of the previous Dutch East Indies but in addition, sought to foster nationwide cohesion by a shared maritime identification. The declaration was initially designed to handle postwar home safety challenges by limiting overseas warships’ entry to its inner waters to forestall them from organizing unauthorized navy workout routines or supporting inner rebellions throughout the archipelago.

Throughout Suharto’s period (1966-1998), the Declaration was applied by aligning it with the evolving inner authorized regime beneath the United Nations Conference on the Regulation of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982. This allowed Indonesia to advance its agenda of being acknowledged as an archipelagic state, fulfilling its want to bolster regime safety in response to threats posed by its porous maritime borders.

Nevertheless, because the worldwide understanding of the seas developed with UNCLOS, which acknowledged not solely territorial seas but in addition sovereign rights over unique financial zones (EEZs) and continental cabinets, Indonesia sought to mirror these developments by increasing its maritime companies. This growth has not solely difficult Indonesia’s border disputes with its neighbors but in addition, has led to the creation of competing maritime companies inside Indonesia itself, setting the context for makes an attempt to impose coordination.

Given its distinctive geography, maritime affairs governance has at all times been difficult for Indonesia. Maritime affairs are dealt with by many home establishments. As an example, greater than 5 ministries are concerned in maritime points, together with the ministries of vitality and tourism, marine affairs and fisheries, and transportation. Indonesia additionally has greater than 10 establishments with maritime legislation enforcement capability, together with the police, navy, transportation authorities, customs, and others.

After Reformasi, in 1999, Abdurrahman Wahid established the Indonesia Maritime Councils and the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries. Beneath Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the previous was renamed the Indonesia Marine Council. Though the Council was dissolved beneath Jokowi, it was largely changed by Marves.

Jokowi’s Maritime Legacy

Throughout his presidency, Jokowi’s main focus was on the financial system, and he sought to combine the maritime agenda into Indonesia’s financial growth by funding. He launched the “maritime freeway” idea to handle the inequalities between the assorted Indonesian islands. Jokowi additionally consolidated all maritime coverage beneath the World Maritime Fulcrum technique, which he launched throughout his first time period marketing campaign.

Though the World Maritime Fulcrum confronted many criticisms, Jokowi laid some vital foundations for Indonesia’s maritime governance. One instance is the institution of Indonesia’s Nationwide Ocean Coverage, which integrates key methods for maritime affairs, together with safety, the blue financial system, and institutional governance. Extra particularly, beneath Jokowi, Indonesia additionally printed the White E book on Maritime Diplomacy to raise the significance of maritime affairs in Indonesia’s diplomatic technique.

Moreover, in response to the complexity of maritime governance establishments, Jokowi established two coordinating our bodies: the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the Indonesian Coast Guard (BAKAMLA). These establishments are essential not just for coordinating numerous maritime-related points but in addition, for following up on the targets set by Indonesia’s Nationwide Ocean Coverage.

Within the final decade, beneath Jokowi and International Minister Retno Marsudi, Indonesia has demonstrated vital management within the area, notably in maritime affairs. Notable examples embody Indonesia’s main function within the formulation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, which has a powerful maritime cooperation part, and the ASEAN Maritime Outlook, a doc launched throughout Indonesia’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2023.

Ready for Prabowo’s Nationwide Maritime Technique

Throughout his tenure as Minister of Protection (2019-2024), Prabowo initiated a complete naval modernization program. This aimed to reinforce Indonesia’s energy projection functionality by procuring cutting-edge naval tools, notably from Western international locations akin to France and Italy.

Nevertheless, this want to modernize naval tools has but to be translated right into a coherent nationwide maritime agenda, leaving every company to deal with their respective priorities – such because the International Ministry concentrating on boundary delimitation and the Protection Ministry on weapons procurement – absent energetic intervention from the highest.

The joint statements launched after Prabowo’s current visits to international locations together with China, India, and the UK, featured maritime cooperation, together with sustainable fishing, maritime safety, and security. Nevertheless, this has been carried out with out efforts to supply nationwide tips or with out shut session with key establishments.

The absence of a coherent nationwide maritime doctrine and coordinated efforts, and a top-down, personalised method to policymaking by President Prabowo within the maritime area together with the South China Sea might result in confusion and contradictions in Indonesia’s method. One such intervention was exemplified within the controversial 2024 Joint Assertion with China, the place Indonesia acknowledged an “overlapping declare” with China for the primary time. This coverage contradicted Indonesia’s long-held place that it’s a non-claimant within the South China Sea and sophisticated the nation’s efforts, notably these of the Ministry of International Affairs, to problem China’s historic claims.

Moreover, Prabowo’s absence of a maritime technique might have important penalties in two key areas.

First, it might undermine and complicate efforts to coordinate maritime-related establishments. With so many numerous establishments coping with maritime affairs, every usually has its personal priorities and agendas. Due to this fact, to keep away from overlap and guarantee coordination, Indonesia wants coordinating establishments. The overlapping authority at sea can also have financial penalties. As an example, the enterprise group has lengthy complained about the price of maritime inspections for service provider ships.

One purpose for that is the existence of a number of legislation enforcement companies that declare the authority to examine overseas ships beneath numerous Indonesian legal guidelines. These overlaps have created confusion and inefficiency in maritime inspections. Consequently, service provider vessels usually complain in regards to the extra prices brought on by inspections from a number of establishments.

Second, it might undermine efforts to ascertain a coherent response to rising powers that doesn’t compromise Indonesia’s pursuits in numerous sectors. Within the instance talked about earlier, Prabowo’s deal with financial and regional safety undermined the longstanding overseas coverage method espoused by the International Ministry, which might have been averted by nearer coordination between them.

Due to this fact, it’s essential for Prabowo, who’s dedicated to persevering with Jokowi’s maritime legacy, to develop a technique that not solely builds upon his predecessor’s achievements but in addition articulates his personal imaginative and prescient for advancing Indonesia’s maritime affairs. Indonesia should first set up a transparent technique and evaluation of the general challenges in maritime affairs, encompassing each conventional and non-traditional safety points. With this readability, Indonesia can allocate sources extra successfully to handle these challenges. With out such assessments and a coherent technique, merely growing procurement will seemingly fall quick in addressing the nation’s maritime challenges.

This text is a part of a sequence of commentaries sharing findings from the mission on Indonesia’s Evolving Maritime Technique, collectively led by Emirza Adi Syailendra and Evelyn Goh at The Australian Nationwide College. Whereas this commentary has benefited from suggestions from the co-investigator, Syailendra, the views expressed are solely these of the creator.