Migrant who made good remembers those back home<\/p>\n
By Tedy Novan<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Few would guess from Suparjo's simple,
\ninexpensive clothes that he is a successful businessman in the
\ncapital.<\/p>\n
He is a native of Jeruk Gulung hamlet in the Gedangsari
\nsubdistrict of Gunungkidul, a corner of Yogyakarta province and
\none of the nation's poorest areas.<\/p>\n
He once carried a sickle and a hoe, toiled in his parents'
\nsmall, unirrigated rice field and rode an old bicycle.<\/p>\n
Today, the 32-year-old father of three's tools are a cellular
\nphone and a metallic-green Toyota Great Corolla sedan.<\/p>\n
Like many others in Gunungkidul, where drought have laid waste
\nto the land for years, he moved to Jakarta to find his fortune.<\/p>\n
With few marketable skills and little cash, the fifth of seven
\nchildren started out in the informal sector, joining the throng
\nhawking vegetables and snacks on city streets or working in
\nfactories, homes or at construction sites.<\/p>\n
It is a hard life, but Gunungkidul migrants are strengthened
\nby a dogged spirit of survival built from growing up in an
\ninhospitable environment.<\/p>\n
"We have only our fighting spirit," he said. "The strain of a
\nhard life is usual for us."<\/p>\n
After leaving high school in Klaten, Central Java, Suparjo
\ntraveled to Jakarta. He took any job he could find, first working
\nas a door-to-door salesman of Encyclopedia Americana for two
\nmonths.<\/p>\n
"My salary was not compatible with my hard work as a
\nsalesman," he said.<\/p>\n
He also worked briefly as a civilian employee in the army, but
\nleft almost immediately because the monthly pay of Rp 60,000 was
\ninsufficient.<\/p>\n
Desperate for money, he began selling vegetables from a
\npushcart in Simprug, South Jakarta. His average daily sales were
\nabout Rp 20,000, but he said he never felt self-conscious walking
\nthe streets.<\/p>\n
"I had no chance of working in an office and I decided to do
\nanything, just so long as it was legitimate."<\/p>\n
There were job hazards. Some residents of housing complexes
\ncomplained his vegetables were not fresh, and others mistook him
\nfor a thief. Public order officials often chased him.<\/p>\n
He was determined to succeed and took all the risks
\nmangnanimously. His determination led him to establish direct
\ncontact with vegetable growers in Sukabumi, Brebes and other
\nareas.<\/p>\n
One of his uncles lent him Rp 400,000 in 1987, which he used
\nto rent a site to sell his vegetables at Bata Putih market.<\/p>\n
Profits quickly began to soar.<\/p>\n
"My daily net income ranged between Rp 150,000 and Rp
\n250,000," said Suparjo.<\/p>\n
Difficulties remained. Security officials often conducted
\nraids, seizing his vegetables and humiliating him before
\nonlookers.<\/p>\n
In late 1987, he moved to the wholesale market in Kramat Jati,
\na more spacious and, most importantly, more peaceful place.
\nBusiness picked up in 1994 when he started to supply vegetables
\nto the Orchid Hotel in West Jakarta.<\/p>\n
"I earned Rp 1 million a day from sales to that hotel alone,"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Life improved as he married and rented his first house for Rp
\n500,000 a year.<\/p>\n
He saved enough money to buy his own 200-square-meter home for
\nRp 60 million in Rempoa, Ciputat, South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
He bought luxury furniture, two cars, a Suzuki pickup for
\ntransporting his vegetables and a Toyota Kijang van. There is
\nalso his sedan, the blaring status symbol for new members of the
\nmiddle class.<\/p>\n
He has also opened a shop selling building materials.<\/p>\n
Life is not all plain sailing. Suparjo has also been hit by
\nthe monetary crisis. Prices of vegetables have risen 20 percent
\nto 30 percent, and the cost of building materials -- many of
\nwhich are imported -- have increased by 40 percent.<\/p>\n
A veteran of confronting and overcoming hardships, Suparjo
\nrefuses to be downcast.<\/p>\n
"No matter how bad the situation gets, I will always remain
\nsteadfast as I have learned from past events."<\/p>\n
He said the crisis would weed out weak businesspeople.<\/p>\n
"Crisis is natural selection. Those who strive by their own
\nefforts will reap the fruits, while those who simply beg for help
\nwill not."<\/p>\n
Suparjo is discreet about his wealth and will not reveal how
\nmuch he is worth. He employs seven Gunungkidul villagers to help
\nrun his businesses.<\/p>\n
He has also established an organization to assist the people
\nof Gedangsari. It supplied funding for the construction of a
\nmosque and a stand for spectators at the village hall.<\/p>\n
When his hometown was beset by drought several years ago, he
\norganized Gunungkidul residents in Jakarta in donating basic
\nnecessities of rice and sugar, plus Rp 2 million.<\/p>\n
He also collected Rp 15 million for the establishment of Karya
\nBakti, a village unit cooperative.<\/p>\n
"This cooperative will enable farmers to obtain production
\nfacilities at lower prices," said the avid soccer fan.<\/p>\n
The Idul Fitri holiday, observed this year at the end of last
\nmonth, is always a joyous time for Jakarta residents to share
\ntheir good fortunes with family and friends back home.<\/p>\n
Suparjo, who returned with his wife and children, gave cash
\nand small gifts to neighbors.<\/p>\n
As always, hope and determination enable Suparjo to keep a
\npositive perspective on Gunungkidul's future.<\/p>\n
"I am going to ask my friends to help develop businesses in
\nour village," he said.<\/p>",
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