For the People, This Richest Man Donates 30 Billion Rupiah

Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX has led Yogyakarta since 1940. Although bearing the status of a king, he is known for choosing a simple lifestyle and having a high level of concern for the small community. The extent of his wealth has never been precisely recorded. However, in historical records, he is known as a generous individual who frequently distributed his assets. The wealth he possessed came from family inheritance as well as the feudal system that applied in the kingdom’s territory at that time. During the early period of Indonesia’s independence, he even donated around 6.5 million gulden to the government and 5 million gulden to help the struggling people. If converted to current value, that amount is equivalent to around Rp20 to Rp30 billion. Despite having much money and a life full of honour, Sri Sultan was not swayed. Many people record his habit of living without flaunting wealth. In the book Tahta untuk Rakyat: Celah-Celah Kehidupan Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX (1982), it is recorded that he once bought cart ice on the roadside in front of Klender Station, Jakarta, in 1946. At that time, the weather was very hot and the Sultan needed a refreshing drink. He could have gone to a restaurant and eaten there, but he refused and chose to drink ice on the roadside. In addition, Sri Sultan also once became a rice transport truck driver. This story began when Sri Sultan drove his Land Rover truck from the countryside to the city centre. In the middle of the road, he was stopped by a female rice seller. The woman wanted to join to the market in the city. She even directly asked the driver to help her load the rice onto the truck. Everything happened just like that without knowing that the person she was riding with was the King of Java. Sri Sultan then immediately complied and lifted two large sacks onto the truck. In the autobiography of Pranoto Reksosamodra titled Catatan Jenderal Pranoto Reksosamodra (2015), it is told that during the journey, the rice seller and Sri Sultan chatted animatedly without knowing that the conversation was taking place with the number one ruler. Upon arriving at the market, Sri Sultan also performed duties like an ordinary driver, namely unloading those sacks. Then, the rice seller gave him wages. However, Sri Sultan politely refused the payment and returned the money. The rice seller reacted angrily. She was upset and felt offended because she thought the truck driver did not want to accept the money because the amount was too small. Sri Sultan immediately left the rice seller. Meanwhile, the woman still could not accept the refusal and viewed the driver as arrogant and not needing money. With her mouth continuously grumbling, someone finally told the rice seller that the truck driver she had thoroughly scolded was actually Sultan Hamengkubuwana IX. Upon hearing this, the rice seller was shocked and fainted, to the point of being taken to the hospital. The incident then reached Sri Sultan’s ears. Immediately, the Sultan drove his vehicle to the hospital and visited the rice seller.