Rickshaw Driver Wins Lottery, Prize Equivalent to 12 Houses in Pondok Indah
In 1990, 1 billion Rupiah possessed immense purchasing power. That amount was considered equivalent to approximately 12 residential units in the Pondok Indah area of Jakarta, or 50 kilograms of gold.
This fantastic sum was once received by Sayat, a rickshaw driver from Magelang, Central Java, after the SDSB (Sumbangan Dermawan Sosial Berhadiah) lottery coupon he purchased was announced as a winner on 9 May 1990.
Sayat, who worked daily as a rickshaw driver, used a portion of his daily earnings to purchase SDSB coupons. When number 84937lag79 was announced as the winner via radio broadcast, he was startled to realise the numbers matched his own.
“Eight, four, nine, three, seven… and finally nine!” exclaimed the radio announcer announcing the SDSB winner, as quoted by the Waspada daily newspaper (17 May 1990).
The victory earned Sayat a prize of 1 billion Rupiah. The news caused a sensation in Magelang, as a rickshaw driver had suddenly become a billionaire.
“This elderly, wrinkled man emerged from his bamboo-walled house to prostrate and kiss the ground of his yard,” wrote the Waspada reporter.
To illustrate the purchasing power of that era, the price of a house in Pondok Indah was said to reach 80 million Rupiah per unit. With 1 billion Rupiah, Sayat could mathematically afford approximately 12 units.
Meanwhile, the price of gold 35 years ago was around 20,000 Rupiah per gram. With 1 billion Rupiah, the amount of gold that could be purchased reached approximately 50 kilograms.
After receiving the winnings, Sayat did not spend it all at once. Half of the money was placed in a fixed deposit, while the remainder was used to purchase a house and provide capital for his children.
Sayat subsequently ceased participating in the SDSB. He chose to focus on religious devotion, building a mosque, and raising his children and grandchildren until the end of his life.
The SDSB programme was eventually discontinued by the government in 1993.