By: Bella

This article was written in conjunction with the Lake Sentarum Festival 2018 Pre-event

The organization of the Danau Sentarum Festival is proof of the harmony of cross-border communities between Indonesia and Malaysia.

This is because, in the implementation of the event which will be held on October 25-28, 2018, a cross border system from Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam will be implemented through the Badau Cross Border Door (PLBN) in Kapuas Hulu Regency, West Kalimantan (Kalbar).

Commander of the Border Security Task Force (Pamtas), Lieutenant Colonel Infantry Imam Wicaksana, said that during the event later, with the enactment of the system, Malaysians can come and watch the festival by showing their Identity cards.

"Later Malaysians who come can show their IC (Identity Card), if there is an event in Malaysia, we (Indonesians) are also given the opportunity to come," he said when met at PLBN Badau, Thursday (9/27/2018).

In the festival celebration later, Badau itself will also be one of the locations organizing activities that become a national event from the Ministry of Tourism.

Quoted through kompas.com, there are four different locations, namely Putussibau as the city of Kapuas Hulu district, Lanjak as a sub-district in the Lake Sentarum area, Badau as a border city with Malaysia, and Sri Aman.

From the Ministry of Tourism's data, tourists visiting Lake Sentarum during the FDS reached 7,865 people, with 7,000 of them foreign tourists from Malaysia.

This year, with the theme "Spurring Cross-Border Ecotourism in the Heart of Borneo", the 2018 FDS event consists of several series, including Lake Sentarum Cruise, Traditional Boat Parade, Sentarum Ethnic Music Festival, Super Red Arowana Contest, Cultural Carnival and Honey Drinking Festival as well as Cultural Arts performances and Community Entertainment.

In the series of activities entering its fourth year, the Lake Sentarum Expo event was also held as well as various competitions and expeditions to enliven the festival.

Among them are the Kapuas Hulu traditional cuisine competition and expedition, Traditional Sports Competition, Cycling in the Heart of Borneo, Lake Sentarum Ambassador Selection, and Photo Competition.

Not only as evidence of harmony, similar forms of cooperation between the two countries are also an adhesive for the apparatus and the community around the border.

Because according to Lieutenant Colonel Imam, a similar form of work has also become a routine agenda for the two countries, previously, during the celebration of the Republic of Indonesia's Independence Day, last August, the same thing was also applied for Malaysians who wanted to witness the excitement of the August 17 moment and vice versa.

"We (TNI) and TDM (Tentera Diraja Malaysia) always coordinate, there are also joint patrols, once a year a Unit Commander Meeting is held, a proof of our harmony," he explained.

He also explained that so far there has been no rejection from the community, nor from Malaysia and also from the authorities.

"Maybe what is called tense is related to mistakes, Indonesians who are clearly smuggling must be tense, and vice versa if Malaysians related to syndicates meet the authorities, they must be tense," he said jokingly.