KUALA LUMPUR: Papua New Guinea’s bid to join Asean may be raised at the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM), but analysts expect a long and winding road ahead.
They point to Timor-Leste’s experience, which will finally be admitted in October as the 11th member nation of the regional grouping, due to the slew of political, legal and economic requirements it had to comply with.
Julia Roknifard, senior lecturer at the School of Law and Governance, Taylor’s University, said the island nation’s bid to join the grouping could be a topic during the Asean-Australia dialogue.
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She said it was Timor-Leste’s turn to accede this year, with matters still being assessed given the vast economic disparity between the country and the rest of Asean.
“So for Papua New Guinea, it will be a long way to accession.”
Roknifard said discussions on facilitating Papua New Guinea’s membership could centre on the possibility of setting up a commission, as was done during Timor-Leste’s bid to join the regional grouping.
More importantly, she said Papua New Guinea has “to satisfy the geographical criteria”, with the rest remaining at the discretion of Asean members.
“Papua New Guinea is rich in natural resources and can contribute to commodity exports of Asean.
“It is also home to a population of 10 million, which is a big consumer base,” she said.
Political analyst Azmi Hassan said certain South-East Asian countries might not be interested in accepting Papua New Guinea as a full-fledged Asean member, given its proximity to Australia.
“Geographically, Papua New Guinea is not part of South-East Asia, so it will be difficult for them to be accepted wholeheartedly by Asean members.”
Universiti Malaya International and Strategic Studies Department Assoc Prof Dr Khoo Ying Hooi also said the island nation’s bid “may not move fast”.
“There will be questions about whether it is ready institutionally, politically and economically to meet Asean standards.
“It is not just about wanting to join, as Asean will look at whether Papua New Guinea fits with the region’s dynamics, and whether its inclusion will make consensus even harder to achieve, especially when we are already stuck on big issues like Myanmar,” she said, adding that Papua New Guinea is situated in Oceania and has closer ties within that region.
“While Papua New Guinea’s application might be discussed or acknowledged, I don’t see any real decision happening soon.”
On Saturday, Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry said Papua New Guinea’s bid to join Asean will be discussed at the AMM in Kuala Lumpur.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto expressed support for the move during the 46th Asean Summit held in Kuala Lumpur in May.
