Determined Mamat directs traffic and rules the road

By Emmy Fitri

JAKARTA (JP): Some may call the 57-year-old Mamat Gayo "disabled", others "physically challenged".

However the abnormal growth in his hands and feet have not disabled his spirit for life in the daily challenge of helping direct traffic near the Harapan Bunda Hospital on busy Jl. Raya Bogor in East Jakarta.

Standing at the middle of a U-turn, blowing his moldy red whistle, he assists motorists who want to enter or exit the hospital, the Kramat Jati central market in front of the hospital or vehicles just making a U-turn.

"This job has given my family life, and right now I don't know any other job that I'm able to do," said the father of two teenagers -- 16-year-old Nani and 14-year-old Edi Saputra -- and a recently adopted four-year-old daughter.

After moving from one minor job to another, Mamat finally found his "niche" directing traffic in 1989.

Born in Takengon, Aceh, Mamat had a tough childhood full of neglect. He forced himself to seek his own way and left his hometown for Medan, North Sumatra, at the age of 16.

There he was fortunate to be adopted and sent to a religious Moslem school.

Despite his physical impediments, Mamat never lost his spirit and quickly did various odd jobs at a number of cities before finally ending up looking for fortune in Jakarta.

"My first job was as a newspaper seller. After that I spent years as a co-driver of a minivan before a civilian security guard (hansip) offered me to help him direct traffic around here," Mamat recalls.

That particular stretch of Jl. Raya Bogor had not been "occupied" by anyone to help direct the increasingly busy traffic.

The security guard was increasingly overwhelmed as more and more drivers asked him to help park their cars.

Mamat came at just the right time and quickly became a very able assistant.

After several months Mamat was left alone to handle the area.

The harsh realities of street life soon set in as the hospital and market began to get busier, and so did the menace.

Local hoodlums, mostly from the central market vying the site, began intimidating Mamat.

"At that time, I wasn't wearing a uniform. I wore a yellow T- shirt distributed by the city administration which read, 'Ingin Lancar, Antri,' (Queue please).

"None of the hoodlums respected me but I wasn't fazed by them at all," he said full of confidence.

The hoodlums often tried to extort money and asked for cigarettes from Mamat.

"I challenged them, but none of them dared to fight me," he recounted.

After several years of hardwork, Mamat's labor began to bear fruit as people began to notice his dedication despite his shortcomings.

In 1994 he was invited and listed by the East Jakarta traffic police as an official "police volunteer."

They gave him a special identification card along with an official letter assigning him to maintain traffic along the street.

From that time on he began wearing a uniform similar to that of a security guard but with different badges.

"I bought my uniform from a another security guard and the badges from the military equipment shop in Kramat Jati market".

These days Mamat does not have to constantly stand by the street, and only keeps a distant watch as he is now able to employ his own assistants. The boys are teenagers who dropped out of school.

Mamat works on the street about three-hours a day, and lets his six teenage assistants do most of the rest.

"I used to have to work until late at night to earn enough money, while at the same time I realized that this road should be watched, as the street is always busy with vehicles coming in and out either from the hospital or from the market...that's one of the reasons I took on the assistants," said Mamat who stands less than one-meter tall.

Despite having six assistants, Mamat claims he still receives between Rp 10,000 (US$1.4) and Rp 15,000 a day from money collected from parking and other tips from drivers.

As he recounted his life experiences, it was clear that Mamat is a proud man who recognizes that he probably has to put in that little more extra effort because of his physique.

He remarked that past experiences had hardened him and taught him not to give up easily.

"I was ignored by my family, moreover my father was very ashamed to admit that I was his son," he commented.

It is probably the desire to give his children a better childhood than he experienced which has helped motivate him.

Married to a housemaid, Tati Sumiyati, Mamat's family resides in a rented two-room house in a small alley in East Jakarta.

Recently he adopted a daughter, four-year-old Dela, who has kept the household full of joy.

"I felt sorry for the girl's parents. They are so poor living in village in West Java," he recalled his decision to adopt.

One of the major benefits of having assistants is that Mamat can spend more time with his family.

"I enjoy this job now because I can spend most of my time at home with my wife and children. We may be poor, but my wife can manage the little money I give her each day," he said.

Many have been touched by Mamat's hard work. He once received an honorary "award" from the then city police chief Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata.

"I received Rp 1 million from Pak Hamami and a package of sembako (basic commodities) from the chief of the East Jakarta traffic police."

Quite reluctant and thankful with what he has, Mamat said he enjoys his life and really has no big dreams about a life of luxury.

For the moment, he says, he is content.

So what else does Mamat desire or aim for in life? He doesn't want his son to follow him and become a parking attendant.

"...that's why I send him to school. To have a job like mine isn't difficult. I'm crippled and I can do this, so he has to have a better job."