‘A Garuda in my Heart, a Tiger in my Stomach’: Brokering an Informal Economic Border Enclave in the Borneo Highlands

Abstract

This article studies the life histories of two broker figures from the Borneo highlands to explore the changing borderland dynamics of Krayan, an Indonesian region bordering on Malaysia. Rather than a lagging or rebellious periphery, the region can best be understood as a site of experimentation. Krayan’s history is strongly shaped by shifting patterns of infrastructural connectivity and mobile networks. This, I posit, has resulted in an indigenous version of an informal special economic zone which is economically integrated with Malaysia but leverages political clout in Indonesia. The regular cross-border caravan of pick-up trucks has started to receive government attention. The highland elite now seeks to formalise Krayan’s constellation into a special administrative status by showcasing its links to Malaysia, thus leveraging the governmental pride and anxiety vested in the border. Rather than evading the state, I argue that this manoeuvring centres on improving the terms of opting in.