Opposition urges the GREAT Government to exercise diplomatic restraint and pursue dialogue following Indonesia’s response over West Papua.
The Official Opposition has called on the GREAT Government to exercise diplomatic restraint and show a clear strategy following Indonesia’s response to Prime Minister Matthew Wale’s remarks on West Papua at the United Nations.
The Opposition said Solomon Islands has every right to raise legitimate human rights concerns involving West Papua, particularly given the close Melanesian ties many Solomon Islanders feel towards the West Papuan people.
It also acknowledged that Prime Minister Wale’s concern for West Papua is longstanding. In 2015, Wale served as the Solomon Islands Government’s Special Envoy on West Papua and supported greater regional and international engagement on the issue.
“The Opposition is not questioning the Prime Minister’s longstanding concern for West Papua or Solomon Islands’ right to raise legitimate human rights concerns.”
“But there is an important difference between advocacy and the responsibility of leading a government.”
“When a Prime Minister speaks at the United Nations, he speaks for the sovereign state of Solomon Islands. His words carry the weight of our foreign policy, and with that comes responsibility for what follows.”
In his UN address, Prime Minister Wale expressly recognised Indonesia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, described Indonesia as a friend and called for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit West Papua to independently verify continuing reports of human rights violations.
The Opposition said respect for sovereignty and concern for human rights are not contradictory.
“Respect for sovereignty cannot be selective. The same respect Solomon Islands expects from other countries must guide the way we deal with other sovereign states.”
“At the same time, sovereignty should not be used to silence legitimate human rights concerns. This is where diplomacy and established regional and international processes are important.”
The Opposition noted that Prime Minister Wale himself recognised this balance in June following discussions with Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape.
At the time, Wale said Solomon Islands wanted to remain good friends with Indonesia and did not want to antagonise Jakarta, while maintaining that concerns over West Papua should be discussed openly and addressed peacefully through dialogue and due process.
“The Prime Minister was right then. Concern for West Papua and constructive relations with Indonesia do not have to be competing positions.”
“The question now is whether that same approach continues to guide his Government.”
Indonesia has since formally responded at the United Nations, rejecting allegations of systematic human rights violations in Papua and defending its own legal and human rights mechanisms.
The Opposition said Indonesia’s response should neither force Solomon Islands to retreat from legitimate concerns nor draw the Government into an unnecessary public war of words.
“Restraint does not mean silence. It means knowing when the country has made its position clear publicly and when diplomacy must take over.”
The Opposition said there is already an established Pacific process for dealing with the West Papua issue.
The 2025 Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting reaffirmed recognition of Indonesia’s sovereignty over West Papua, stressed the importance of continued constructive dialogue with Indonesia and tasked the Forum Secretariat to work with Indonesia on a proposed visit by Forum Envoys in 2026, in consultation with the Melanesian Spearhead Group Secretariat.
“That process provides a way for Solomon Islands to continue raising legitimate concerns while keeping dialogue open.”
“West Papua is a longstanding regional issue. Solomon Islands cannot resolve it alone.”
The Opposition said the GREAT Government should also be measured against its own stated foreign policy.
The Government has said it will pursue “pragmatic, sovereign and mutually beneficial international relations”, strengthen regional stability and maintain international partnerships aligned with Solomon Islands’ national interest.
“The Government has set that standard for itself. It must now show that standard in practice.”
The Opposition said the wider principle recently expressed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres of choosing “dialogue over division” and “diplomacy over confrontation” is also relevant when countries face serious disagreements. Guterres made the remarks in his 2026 message on nuclear disarmament.
The Opposition said GREAT must now explain what diplomatic engagement has taken place with Indonesia following its response and how Solomon Islands intends to pursue its concerns through the Pacific Islands Forum, MSG, United Nations and direct diplomatic channels.
The Government should also clarify whether its next steps have been agreed by Cabinet and what advice the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade has provided on managing relations with Indonesia.
“The Prime Minister has spoken. Indonesia has responded. The test now is whether GREAT has a strategy beyond the UN podium.”
“Foreign policy cannot end with a speech. If the Government wants its intervention to lead to greater transparency and meaningful engagement in West Papua, it must show how it intends to pursue that objective.”
The Opposition said strong leadership in foreign affairs requires both conviction and judgement.
“The question is not whether the Prime Minister should care about West Papua. The question is whether, as Prime Minister, he is managing that concern with the restraint, judgement and diplomatic discipline required of his office.”
“Solomon Islands can support credible and independent examination of human rights concerns in West Papua, respect Indonesia’s sovereignty and maintain constructive relations with Jakarta.”
“That is the diplomatic balance the GREAT Government must now demonstrate.”
SOURCE// OPPOSITION GROUP PRESS RELEASE
