HumasUPNVJ - The incident of Chinese ships entering the waters of Indonesia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) reminds us again that we have not wholeheartedly accepted the condition of our country which mostly consists of territorial waters.
Based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Indonesia's territorial waters can be divided into an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 2.7 million km² and a territorial sea of 3.1 million km². or as a whole equivalent to 2/3 of the total area of Indonesia.
Nevertheless, the national development program is still largely concentrated in the mainland. In the last three years, there have been 81 National Strategic Projects (PSN) that have been completed with an investment of around IDR 390 trillion. Based on data from the Committee for the Acceleration of Providing Priority Infrastructure, most of these projects include construction of airports, roads, industrial areas and dams.
Only a few are directly related to the marine and fisheries sector, such as the realization of a port construction in 2016 and a Marine and Fisheries Center in 2018.
On the other hand, not a single port in Indonesia has been included in the list of 20 global container ports published by the UNCTAD Review of Maritime Transport 2019. Meanwhile, Singapore ranks second on the list, Klang Port Malaysia ranks 12th and Tanjung Pejuang Port Malaysia in 18th order.
Not only that, incidents of foreign ships entering Indonesian waters have actually occurred several times. Ideally, we already have a good security system and management in defending national waters.
In reality, Chinese ships managed to enter Natuna waters with ease. Recently, there has even been a polemic about who should be in charge of securing the sea, the Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) or the Indonesian Navy.
Power and Sovereignty. As Realists, sovereignty is a concept that did not come out of the blue, but was built on forces that can influence and compel other nations to recognize our sovereignty.
Attempts to sink fishing boats under Minister Susi Pudjiastuti were enough to frighten fish thieves, but have not completely stopped 'try and miss' attempts to profit from Indonesia's maritime territory. Cross-sectoral coordination is needed to build a better defense and security system in water areas. President Jokowi's Maritime Axis Policy is a great hope for strengthening national maritime defense and security. Increasing the number and quality of sea transportation facilities and infrastructure and strengthening the management of marine resources are expected to make Indonesia a world maritime economic power. However, the realization is still not significantly visible, both in terms of infrastructure and in terms of productivity of marine resources.
The demand for sea transportation modes, for example, is decreasing compared to rail and airplane modes of transportation, even the economic growth of the fisheries sector has decreased from 7.89 percent in 2015 to 5.20 percent in 2018. 5.20 percent in 2018. Defense Diplomacy as a liberal, cooperation is the most likely choice to achieve a harmonious and peaceful life with other countries. Indonesia has actively participated in many international cooperation at regional and multilateral levels. For this reason, this social modality should be put to good use to promote in every international meeting the uniqueness and richness of the sea that belongs to Indonesia, so that the global community is increasingly interested in the potential of the maritime economy, including recognizing the boundaries of national waters.
We think positively that maybe China is not too familiar with the boundaries of Indonesian waters, so the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China reasoned that his country only conducts routine patrols to relevant waters. Continuous efforts to strengthen branding and global awareness of our maritime sovereign territory are expected to anticipate similar incidents recurring. For this reason, the performance of defense diplomacy must continue to be improved, especially in the context of maintaining regional sovereignty and security stability. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with the Ministry of Defense and the TNI should be able to open a dialogue forum with China in order to resolve this issue. As two friendly countries, of course we hope that both parties can communicate and respect each other's territorial sovereignty, so that it does not impact security stability which can be economically detrimental. We don't need to doubt our bargaining power as a nation, because basically China needs Indonesia for its aggressive economic expansion. On the other hand, Indonesia can live independently without having to depend on aid and investment from China.
Source of writing/news: Andi Kurniawan International Politics Researcher at UPN Veterans Jakarta FISIP
https://www.rmol.id/read/2020/01/09/416757/Natuna-Cermin-Keamanan-Laut-Kita-