Pedicab driver in Java becomes a billionaire, wins Rp50 million lottery

Pedicab driver in Java becomes a billionaire, wins Rp50 million lottery

Photo: Pedicab Driver

      For years, Sayat (72) has been a pedicab driver in Magelang, Central Java. He pedals countless kilometers every day to take passengers and earn money.

Later, the meager money is divided according to needs. Some are used for daily life.

Then some are saved as provisions to extend the house contract. Meanwhile, some are used to buy lottery coupons.

The lottery coupon in question is the Social Benefactor Prize Donation (SDSB). Since January 1, 1989, SDSB is a lottery coupon organized by the government.

People can buy coupons ranging in price from Rp1,000 to tens of thousands. Later, the lottery money was used by the government for development capital.

In return, the government gave billions of rupiah in prizes, which were determined based on the shuffling of the purchase coupons. Of course, with a very small chance of winning.

Sayat saw these coupons as a way to escape poverty. Almost every week he bought lottery coupons in the hope of getting Rp1 billion.

Unfortunately, never once did the coupons he bought match the government's shuffle. Until finally, a miracle happened on Wednesday, May 9, 1990.

At exactly 11:30 p.m., Sayat played a radio that could announce the winner of the SDSB. He also listened carefully to the announcer's words, which mentioned the winning numbers of the lottery coupons.

“Eight, four, nine, three, seven.... and finally nine!,” said the announcer, quoted by the Waspada daily (May 17, 1990).

When the announcer said the last number, Sayat was immediately stunned. As it turned out, all the numbers matched the coupons she had. This means that Sayat legitimately received Rp1 billion from the government.

“This elderly and wrinkled man left his bamboo-walled house to bow down and kiss the soil of his yard,” wrote the reporter of the Waspada daily.

His wife's tears broke out. What had been a dream came true in the middle of the night.

The next day, Sayat reported the victory to the relevant parties. Afterward, the whole city of Magelang was excited because a pedicab driver suddenly became a billionaire.

In 1990, Rp1 billion was a lot of money. House prices in the elite Pondok Indah area of Jakarta alone reached Rp80 million per unit. This meant that with Rp1 billion, Sayat could buy 12 houses in Pondok Indah.

Then, the price of gold in 1990 was only Rp20,000 per gram. With Rp1 billion, Sayat could buy 50 kg of gold. This means that if converted through gold price equalization (1 gram: Rp1 million), it is known that Rp1 billion is equivalent to Rp50 billion today.

The billions would be handed over directly by the Minister of Politics, Law and Human Rights, Sudomo, in Jakarta. Fortunately, Sayat is aware of investment and chooses not to squander the money.

To Waspada, he said he would use half of the money to put on deposit. The rest will be used to buy a house and as living capital for his children.

He also said he would no longer participate in SDSB. After all, he is already a billionaire. As a result, he chose to focus on worship, build a mosque, and take care of his children and grandchildren until his death.

Even so, Sayat's story cannot be an example because SDSB is no different from gambling today. It's just that SDSB at that time was legalized by the government through the Ministry of Social Affairs.

In the end, stories like Sayat's no longer exist because the SDSB was dismissed in 1993.