Ethnic gangster groups in war to grab hot money
Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The three notorious gang leaders of the Kalijodo brothel and gambling complex in Pejagalan subdistrict, North Jakarta, emerged to take it over at the same time in 1994.
Up until that time, several gangs feuded for control, but only three managed to survive in the end.
Once in Kalijodo, there were five ethnic gangs, with members from places as far away as Madura in East Java, Makassar, Bugis and Mandar in South Sulawesi, and Banten.
Over time, the Maduranese and the Bugis failed to compete. The Madurese lost to Mandar in a fierce gang war in the 1990s as well as the Bugis who also lost to Mandar.
The year 1994 was the year of succession for the Mandar and the Makassar gangs.
The late Kamilon, who reigned between the 1970s and 1980s, inherited the throne from his nephew, H. Usman.
The Makassar, meanwhile, crowned their new "Godfather", Aziz, after their leader, Leang, was believed to have been killed by the Mandar in 1993.
As for the Banten gang, Agus, 44, the first "Godfather", explained there have been no organized hoodlums from Banten in Kalijodo.
Agus was once a small-time koprok croupier in 1975. He originally came from Serang in Banten province, before migrating to Jakarta in 1970.
"I took power after saving some money from 30 years of gambling. It was a lucrative spot to open a gambling business, as the place was crowded already by visitors looking for commercial sex workers," said Agus, who was surrounded by seven huge bodyguards, when interviewed by The Jakarta Post.
Agus, who only studied until the third grade of elementary school, currently runs 117 gambling parlors which generate as much as Rp 400 million (around US$40,000) per day.
As for the brothel, Agus said he had none. His three gambling spots in Kalijodo were burned down during the recent riots between the Makasar and the Mandar gang members.
Agus claimed to have six houses scattered around Jakarta, and four cars -- a Nissan Terrano, a Suzuki Baleno, a Honda CRV and a new Toyota Kijang.
He also used the money from gambling to support his men, who are paid between Rp 500,000 and Rp 3,000,000 per month.
"I only have 100 men in Kalijodo, but if a war breaks out, I can just call my friends in Serang and Pandegelang to storm Jakarta, which altogether could reach at least 7,000," boasted Agus.
A Mandar gang member, Acong, said Usman had at least 3,000 men recruited from remote villages in South Sulawesi.
"He recruited youths between 13 and 15 years old to be sent to Jakarta. They were fed and trained on gambling and brothel premises," said Acong, who was recruited in 1998 when he was 15.
The Mandar concentrated on some 300 brothels and gambling parlors. They built two headquarters, one in Kalijodo and the other on Jl. Terusan Bidara.
Narno, not his real name, -- a local resident who was a close ally of the highest-ranking gang member of the Mandar -- said the gang was run by Usman, and his younger brother, H. Yusuf, better known as Sakera. The last acted as the leader of the gang war.
"Usman was about to hand over his throne to Sakera. The last two years was the time of power transition from Usman to Sakera. However, Sakera always made trouble by starting wars between Makassar and Banten gang," said Narno.
The Makassar gang's leader, Aziz, is currently detained by North Jakarta district police officials for pointing a gun at Adj. Comr. Khrisna Murti, the chief of the Penjaringan subprecinct, during a brawl with the Mandar last month.
W. Budiyono, chief of Pejagalan subdistrict who had earlier served as the head of subdistrict's Public Order office for 15 years, said the Mandar and the Makassar gangs have been fighting for ages. While the Banten gang was affected, as their area is located just a stone's throw away from the Makassar's area.