PLBN Badau: Indonesia's catalyst of growth, symbol of sovereignty

 Indonesia and Malaysia share 2,062 kilometers of borderlines on Kalimantan Island, with the lines separating Indonesia’s West Kalimantan and North Kalimantan provinces from Malaysia's Sarawak and Sabah states.

In West Kalimantan, there is a cross-border post (PLBN) in Badau, Kapuas Hulu District. Since its inauguration by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) in 2017, the post has served the Indonesian nation by monitoring the crossing of people and goods to and from Lubok Antu in Sarawak.

Head of PLBN Badau, Wendelinus Fanu, said that people living in the border region have been reaping economic benefits from the operations of the cross-border post.

This year, the number of people crossing through the post has reached 70,000, with an average of 250-300 per day. Moreover, the PLBN has been facilitating the flow of Indonesia’s exports.

This positive trend has been the result of efforts made by Indonesia’s National Border Management Agency (BNPP) to provide citizens with one-stop customs, immigration, and quarantine services at PLBNs by collaborating with other institutions, such as the Finance Ministry and the Indonesian Quarantine Agency.

“PLBN Badau will continue to provide the finest services to people. Here, institutions, agencies, and the officers assigned have continued to work in ever-improving synergy,” Fanu remarked.

The Indonesian and Malaysian governments have reached a range of cooperation agreements in the hope of bolstering their shared commitment to creating and maintaining safe and prosperous border areas.

It is even possible to trace this matter back half a century, when the two countries rolled out a bilateral border trade agreement in 1970, driven by their desire to offer greater convenience to people residing along the borderlines to meet their staple needs through cross-border trade activities.

On Indonesia's side of the border, the agreement seeks to serve merchants and residents operating in Kapuas Hulu’s sub-districts of Badau, Lupar, Embaloh Hulu, Empanang, and Puring Kencana, which are adjacent to Malaysian territory.

“Cross-border transactions in the region are done within the agreed provisions,” Fanu stated, implying that the agreement covers specific types of goods.

Since its inception, the bilateral trade agreement has been implemented as a five-year deal that is automatically renewed for another five years unless Indonesia or Malaysia withdraws or proposes amendments through diplomatic mechanisms.

The latest renewal of the agreement took place in June last year.

Seven years since its inauguration, PLBN Badau has proven to be an icon of Indonesian pride, particularly in the eyes of those residing in Kapuas Hulu District, thanks to the post’s contribution to both local and national economic growth.

The post's presence can also be seen as a manifestation of the government’s genuine care for Indonesia’s frontiers and their residents.

With the goal of affirming Indonesia’s sovereignty over parts of Kalimantan in mind, the government designated PLBN Badau as the venue for a ceremony marking the country’s 79th Independence Day anniversary on August 17, 2024.

During the ceremony, Purnomo Sucipto, the Cabinet Secretariat’s Deputy for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, emphasized that the development of Indonesia’s border regions is paramount to strengthening the country’s sovereignty and boosting prosperity.