Hercules: Former Tanah Abang Thugs Who Will Be Part Of Jakarta's History

JAKARTA - Tanah Abang Market is one of the major trading centers in Jakarta. The high level of economic transactions in Tanah Abang is the estuary. This not only encourages traders to come, but also becomes a place for heroes (thugs) to find food. Rosario de Marshall, for example. The man who is familiarly called Hercules once controlled the Tanah Abang Market in the 1990s. He was nicknamed the Tanah Abang Thug. The gang was unrivaled. Until finally the power of Hercules in Tanah Abang was defeated by the Betawi champion, Bang Ucu.

Rosario de Marshall's youth was full of sorrow. His parents died when Rosario was young. However, the Indonesian military operations in East Timor in the 1980s changed everything. He is part of the East Timorese who support Indonesia. He was also very close to members of the Indonesian military who served there.

They also saw the figure of Rosario as a diligent and loyal person. By them, Rosario was appointed as Operational Assistance Personnel (TBO). He does his job of maintaining logistics with dedication. People then gave him a new name: Hercules.

Not accidentally. He is a slender child, but he has quite a lot of strength. that is the origin of the name Hercules. He was even able to lift 100 kg of rice alone. His perseverance made Hercules favored by the Indonesian military.

He was also given the authority to guard a supply warehouse belonging to the Indonesian military. The great trust in Hercules grew day by day, higher and higher. Hercules was allowed to join the guerrilla against the enemy troops. Unlucky fate. In an accident one of his hands was severed. The Indonesian military took swift action by bringing Hercules to Jakarta.

"However, Hercules kept secret why and the background of the incident that caused his right hand to be injured and he had to be flown to Jakarta and treated at the Gatot Subroto Army Central Hospital (RSPAD). Jakarta. The injured hand even had to be amputated.”

“Hercules said: I need not tell. East Timor is like rice that has turned into porridge. If I tell you later there are parties who don't like it. Can't stand the treatment at the RSPAD. Hercules escaped from the hospital and lived a homeless life. Finally stranded in Tanah Abang. I want to be independent. Arriving in Tanah Abang, I lived under a bridge,” said Gantyo Koespradono in the book Kick Andy: A Collection of Inspirational Stories Volume 1 (2008).

Hercules first lived in Tanah Abang in 1989. Selling cigarettes was his way of making a living. However, his work as a trader is often interrupted by local gangs of thugs. Hercules did not remain silent. He always fights back. His resistance made Hercules respected throughout Tanah Abang. Moreover, Hercules still carried his machete everywhere.

The effort was made by Hercules because he was sleeping under the bridge. The location was very vulnerable to being attacked by thugs who hated him. Alias his life became restless. Sleep with a machete, eat with a machete, even take a bath with a machete. His courage paid off. Many groups began to close to him.

“His following has expanded as his name has become more widely heard. In 1993 his gang, which consisted mostly of youths from Eastern Indonesia, was said to have approached 400 people. In 1994 the Hercules gang was able to seize control of the Jatibunder village in Tanah Abang.”

“The struggle from the domination of Betawi and Madurese ethnic gangs. They control the share of deposits in the lucrative main market building, and control prostitution in Bongkaran, where they set up their headquarters,” wrote Ian Douglas Wilson in the book “Politics of Preman's Allotments (2018).

More and more groups joined Hercules. Later his colleagues from East Timor came to help Hercules. They are Alfredo Monteiro Pires, Logo Vallenberg, Germano, Luis, Jimmy, and Anis.

The Hercules gang, which initially managed prostitution and gambling, then spread its wings. They helped manage the street vendors. Hence, they get deposit money from the merchant. From daily, monthly, to annual bonuses.

Hercules' power over the Tanah Abang Market gave rise to many groups who did not like it. Including the Betawi group. This is because the narrative of power over Tanah Abang has been held by Betawi champions. The Hercules gang is called the Betawi War Commander, Muhammad Yusuf Muhi (Bang Ucu) as a newcomer who throws a tantrum. His religion is also different from the majority of the Bang Ucu group who are Muslim.

There is no other way for Bang Ucu other than to get rid of the group from Tanah Abang. A fight between the two groups erupted in 1996. As a result, the Bang Ucu group succeeded in eliminating the Hercules Gang from Tanah Abang.

"A dozen years ago, don't mess with Bang Ucu. In 1996, he led the Betawi group to get rid of the Hercules group in Tanah Abang. The clashes between the two groups spilled blood, and were also spiced up with religious issues.”

“Successfully controlling Tanah Abang, Bang Ucu's group held security at Jakarta's entertainment center. I hold almost everything, he said. I am free in and out of the entertainment center. He then showed him the Manhattan Club membership card at the Borobudur Hotel, which expired in 2004,” wrote a Tempo Magazine report entitled Falling-Bangun Jawara Tenabang (2010).

After decades of misfortune in the world of thugs, Hercules now has a new position as an Expert at the Pasar Jaya Regional Public Company. He was contracted for six months, and is currently serving five months.

As has always been his existence in the world of tough thugs, the appointment of Hercules as an Expert of Perumda Pasar Jaya also sparked controversy. He was deemed unfit to be placed in that position.

"This is an award. But we're not looking for food there. Now, if the people who are burning beards are hungry people. In the end, they just bark but don't want to say 'I don't accept you as an expert staff, why should you become an expert staff? No, I'm just a man," Hercules said as quoted by Antara, Tuesday, February 22.

Such is Hercules, whose life story one day is not impossible to become part of the history of Jakarta.

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