The Yegiora Files

 By Bernard Yegiora The debate on charging transit fees through the Jomard Passage should no longer be framed as a narrow question of revenue. It is, fundamentally, a question of how PNG finances and operationalises maritime security. The opportunity before the country is not simply to monetise a strategic waterway, but to convert that revenue into a sustained security capability. This is precisely where the concept of Blue Security—developed in my research —becomes directly relevant. The Foreign Policy White Paper 2025 provides a timely and necessary recognition of the country’s evolving security environment. It acknowledges the importance of maritime security, identifies threats such as illegal fishing and transnational crime, and calls for strengthened border and maritime governance. It also frames PNG as a steward of vast oceanic resources and aligns itself with broader regional narratives such as the Blue Pacific. Yet, despite this recognition, the policy stops short of ar...