Pak Ogah controls the traffic for free

At a three-way intersection, a man in flip-flops directs traffic. He is popularly called a Pak Ogah, which is the name of a character in an animated series who charges money for services that benefit no one.

That is the way many people think about Pak Ogahs. But there are also people that give the Pak Ogahs a tip. Often 1000 or 2000 rupiah.

Are you a Pak Ogah every day?

Well, normally there is an old friend of mine from Wonosari at this intersection. But if he can’t, he sends me a message and I take over from him before the intersection is taken over by someone else.

So, what do you usually do?

I work for a man in my village who keeps goats. I keep the place clean and take care of the goats. Look, he points to an old scooter next to the road with a sharp sickle and a few empty rice bags on it. When the hustle and bustle here is over, I will look for fresh grass.

To be honest, I earn more as a Pak Ogah. I’ve been here since 6 am this morning and it’s now 9:30 am and I already have 20,000 rupiah.

Seriously? You can hardly buy anything to eat with that.

The big bills have yet to come. When the offices or schools are out, often someone gives 20k. Very occasionally 50k.
Does that happen often in a day?
It doesn’t even happen every day. But today is Friday. And Friday is a blessed day. Just look. I even get boxes of food on Fridays. You’ll see. Sometimes there’s even a piece of chicken in it. I take that home for my children.

Do you have many children? No, not many. Three.

Last week a Pak Ogah was run over on the ring road of Jogja by a driver who wasn’t paying attention for a moment.

What do your children think of you throwing yourself in front of cars and scooters to avoid traffic jams - with only a whistle and a yellow-red flag?

I hope they’re proud of me. I don’t lie on a mattress all day. I go out on the street to find some money.