Betawi Playboy with a penchant for showing off, even used banknotes to clean himself

The habit of flexing, or showing off wealth, has existed for a long time. One of the most extreme examples was shown by a wealthy man in Jakarta, then known as Batavia, who used banknotes to clean himself each time after using the toilet.

He was Oei Tambah Sia, a Batavia tycoon in the 19th century who was famous for his arrogance and excessive lifestyle. From inheriting a large fortune and often showing it off to misusing it for gambling, parties, and women, Oei’s life ended on the gallows.

Not only that, he also had a habit of wasting money and using banknotes to clean himself. The wealth he inherited made Oei complacent. He became arrogant and conceited. From his inheritance, Oei often gambled, used drugs, and showed an arrogant attitude.

Alwi Shahab in Oey Tambahsia, Playboy Betawi (2007) explains that one of these arrogant attitudes was seen when he defecated by the river. During his life, he often used banknotes to clean himself. Then, the banknotes were taken and became a scramble for poor people.

In addition, another arrogant attitude was also seen when Oei tried to use his wealth to have many women. He was indeed known as a handsome and fashionable man. Practically, it was easy for him to attract women.

Achmad Sunjayadi in [Not] Taboo in the Archipelago (2018) tells that Oei was not satisfied with one woman and often changed women. He even had a special bungalow in the Ancol area as a place to relax with the women.

Usually, he looked for women by riding a horse while traveling around the city. If he couldn’t find them, he would ask a pimp to find women. Or if he was desperate, he would take women by force from their homes.

With such an attitude, people could only remain silent. It was difficult for them to oppose someone who had money and power. As a result, Oei’s behavior became even worse.

From the series of strange behaviors of the man born in 1827, in the end, one of them caused him to stumble. This story began when he approached a woman who worked as a pesinden (traditional Javanese singer), named Mas Ajeng Gunjing. Oei met Ajeng in Pekalongan while attending a wedding party. As usual, he easily brought Ajeng to Jakarta to be with him. The woman was then placed in his bungalow.

One day, Ajeng fell ill and was moved to Tambah’s private house in Tangerang. Here, Ajeng was visited by her brother, Mas Sutejo. The two of them immediately became close because they were siblings. However, Oei did not understand and saw this while being consumed by jealousy.

Then, Oei ordered his men to kill Sutejo. So, the man from Pekalongan died. To deceive, he also killed his men and accused his rival, Liem Soe King, as the suspect.

However, Oei’s trick was discovered by the police who were fed up with his behavior since the past. The authorities did not believe it and succeeded in collecting evidence until it was proven that Sutejo was killed by Oei. From here, he was brought to court.

The judge gave a death sentence. Finally, in 1851, he was hanged in front of the City Hall (now the Old Town area). The hanging was widely witnessed by the people of Jakarta, reminding everyone that no one can act arbitrarily.