EKA TJIPTA WIJAYA

MY LEARNING by the wayside ...
With my mother, I went to Makassar in 1932 at the age of nine. We sailed seven days and seven nights. Because of the poor, we are only able to sleep in the worst place in the ship, under the steerage. Want to eat good food, unable to. There is a five-dollar, but it can not be spent, because for it to Indonesia we still owe on the loan sharks, 150 dollars.

Arrive in Makassar, Eka small - still with the name Oei Ek Tjhong - soon to help his father who had already arrived and had a small shop. The goal is clear, immediately get 150 dollars, to be paid to the lender. Two years later, the debt paid off, his father's shop forward. Eka also ask the School. But Eka refused to sit in first class.

Complete primary school, he could not continue their education due to economic problems. He also began selling. He was around the city of Makassar, selling biscuits and confectionery. Only two months, he had hooked a profit of Rp. 20, the amount of time. The price of rice when it was 3-4 cents per kilogram. See their business grow, Eka purchase tricycles for loading the goods.

But when his business thrives, come the Japanese invaded Indonesia, including to the Makassar, so that his business was totally destroyed. He total unemployed, no imports / exports can be sold. Total profit of Rp. 2000, which he painstakingly collected over several years, spent up to their daily needs.

In the midst of an almost lost hope, Eka bututnya and ride my bike around Makassar. Came to Paotere (outskirts of Makassar, now one of the largest boat base outside Java). There he saw how hundreds of Japanese soldiers are watching hundreds of captives Dutch troops. But not the Japanese and Dutch Eka interesting, but the pile of flour, cement, sugar, which is still in good condition. Eka business brain spinning immediately. As soon as he returned home and made preparations to open a tent near the site. He plans to sell food and beverages to the Japanese army in the field of labor.

The next day, still morning at four o'clock, Eka already in Paotere. He brought coffee, sugar, kerosene cans filled with water, a small oven containing charcoal to make hot water, cups, spoons and so on. Original equipment he borrowed from his mother. Six chickens he borrowed his father's part. The chicken was cut and made of white chicken salt scrub. He also borrowed a wiskey bottle, a bottle of brandy and a bottle of wine from his friends.

At seven o'clock he was ready sale. Sure enough, at seven, 30 Japanese and Dutch prisoners began to come to work. But until nine o'clock in the morning, no visitors. Eka decided to approach the boss of the Japanese troops. Eka treat the Japanese eating and drinking in a quarter chicken tasted tenda.Setelah complete with vinegar soy sauce and garlic, two sips of whiskey drink for free, the Japanese say joto. After that, all his men and prisoners are allowed to eat and drink in the tent Eka. Of course he asked permission to remove all items that have been discarded.

Eka soon deploy entire village raised the children's goods and they pay 5-10 cents. All the goods are removed to a house with a rickshaw. Eka following home pages, and half the neighbor's yard filled up all sorts of stuff. He also worked hard to choose what to wear and sell. Flour for example, which is still well separated. Which is hard pounded back and treated until it can be used again. He also learned how to sew sacks.
Since that time a state of war, the supply of building materials and consumer goods is very less. That is why cement, flour, Chinese wine and other goods which he obtained from the debris it becomes very valuable. He began selling flour. Only Rp. 50 per sack, and he was raised to Rp. 60, and finally Rp. 150. For cement, he began to sell Rp. 20 per sack, then Rp. 40.
At that time there was about to buy a cement contractor, to make the graves of the rich. Of Eka rejected, because according to him selling cement to contractors doing? Eka was then later became a contractor manufacturer graves of the rich. He paid carpenters Rp. 15 per day plus a 20 percent stake to contract the manufacture of empty graves of six luxury. He started with Rp. 3,500 per grave, and the latter paid Rp. 6000. After the cement and concrete iron out, he stops as contractor grave.
Thus Eka, quit as a contractor grave, he copra trade, and sailed for days to Selayar (South Sulawesi) and to other centers to obtain copra copra cheap.
Eka reaping huge profits, but suddenly he was almost bankrupt because of Japan passed a law that the sale and purchase of palm oil is controlled by Mitsubishi gave Rp. 1.80 per tin. Though the market price per can of Rp. 6. Eka great loss.

He is looking for other opportunities. Trade in sugar, then teng-teng (Makassar typical food of brown sugar and peanuts), sesame, cotton candy. But when it starts flying, the price of sugar fell, he was a big loss, capital runs out again, even owe. Eka had to sell the jeep, two family sedans as well as selling jewelry including wedding rings to cover accounts payable.

But Eka try again. Supplier of business and various other needs. His efforts are still ups and downs. For example, when it was flying in the 1950s, there Permesta, and merchandise, mainly copra plundered Permesta elements. Capital him out again. But Eka rose again, and start trading again.

His efforts did not really shot and not fall-down after the New Order era which, according to Eka, "giving the business era coolness". The man handed a cold was able to fix the various businesses that had "no nothing" to "nothing". Tjiwi Chemistry, which was built in 1976, and produce 10,000 tons of paper (1978) accelerated to 600,000 tons today.

Year 1980-1981 he was buying oil palm plantation area of ​​10 thousand hectares in Riau, machinery and plant with a capacity of 60 thousand ton.Perkebunan and tea factory area of ​​1,000 hectares with a capacity of 20 thousand tons bought anyway. In 1982, he bought the Bank International Indonesia. Initially BII only two branches with assets of Rp. 13 billion. Having held for twelve years, BII now has 40 branches and sub-branches, with assets of Rp. 9.2 trillion. PT Indah Kiat also purchased. Initial production (1984) only 50,000 tons per year. Ten years later, Indah Kiat production to 700,000 tonnes of pulp per year, and 650 000 tons of paper per year. Not until the business of banking, paper, oil, Eka also merancah real estate business. He built Arts and Crafts boutiques, shop, fully equipped apartments with commercial center. Roxy he built an apartment in Green View, on any Ambassador Brass.

"I really realized, I could be like now because God is Good. I strongly believe in God, and always wanted to be his good servant, "he said commenting on all the success now.

"Except that, save," he added. He suggested, if you're going to be big business, learn to control the money. Do not return only Rp. 100, spending Rp. 90. And if lucky just Rp. 200, do not try to spend Rp. 210, "Waahhh, cilaka it right," he said.

After 58 years of business and holds a conglomerate, Eka said he personally is actually very poor. "Every thought of the debt with interest is so great, I did not dare to use the money carelessly. Want to break hard, for the time being drained to the business. There was really no time to use private money, "Eka complains. Want to eat good food, lanjutya, really difficult because the average fine food high in cholesterol.

This is the irony, said Eka. Once he hard to eat good food for the poor. Now when it was "conglomerate" (with 70 thousand employees and nearly 200 companies), Eka remains difficult to eat well, for fear of cholesterol. Age of the father of eight children born October 3, 1923 has been nearly 73 years. Age claimants maintain a healthy and fit tightly.