JP/Ganug Nugroho AdiOn May 29, a one-legged man climbed to the top of the 30-meter-high Welcome Monument at Hotel Indonesia’s traffic circle in Jakarta in only 12 minutes.
It was disabled Sabar’s way to commemorate National Awakening Day.
The climb also marked the start of his Ekspedisi Merdeka (Freedom Expedition) set for July-August, during which he will climb the summits of Mt. Elbrus (Russia) and Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania).
His climbs will coincide with the 66th National Independence anniversary.
Born in Surakarta in September 1968, Sabar has long been a nature lover. As a junior high school pupil, he climbed several mountains such as Lawu (3,265 meters), Merapi (2,968 meters) and Merbabu (3,145 meters).
While in senior high school, he carried on climbing to the peaks of Gede (2,958 meters), Pangrango (3,019 meters), Semeru (3,676 meters) and Rinjani (3,726 meters).
“I like heights. From high places we can have more freedom to watch and relish the beauty of nature,” said Sabar in his modest home in Kentingan, Surakarta.
Back in 2010, on World Disabled Day, Sabar climbed the Solo Paragon Hotel and Apartment, the tallest building in Central Java. He reached the top of the 84-meter, 25-story building in less than 45 minutes.
Yet Sabar is not a man without fears. Like most people, he worries about falling. He often imagines his safety rope snapping, causing his body to drop and hit the ground.
“I fight my fear by singing while I am suspended from the rope. As soon as I start singing, my fear vanishes.”
Back in 1994, Sabar used to clean high-rise buildings. He was frequently seen hanging off the wall of malls, hotels and government offices, cleaning windows and panes. One day, the one-legged man caught the attention of locals, particularly children, by wearing a Spiderman costume. From then on, people called him Spiderman.
“I wore the costume on purpose because it was a holiday, so I could do my job and entertain kids at the same time,” said the father of one.
Sabar’s courage to overcome despair has been key to all his achievements. He was physically normal until senior high school. Then during a school vacation in 1990, he fell from a train in Karawang, West Java.
“Actually the train was running slowly. But it had so many wheels, so my leg was crushed,” he related with a laugh.
His right leg was amputated, sending him into shock. For three months he lamented his fate. He even blamed God for being “unfair”.
“My family and friends kept encouraging me. I was trying to rise again. I thought I’d rather be really crazy instead of acting like a loony,” he said.
And so he did the unthinkable, and went back to his former hobby. But this time he focused on rock climbing rather than mountaineering. He trained for over a year, always testing his limits, along with groups of Nature Lover Students (Mapala) and even the Army Special Forces (Kopassus), Kandang Menjangan, Kartasura.
His rock climbing skills were apparent at the disabled class exhibition of the National Sports Festival XIV in Jakarta in 1996. In the same event in Surabaya in 2000, he acted as a juror in the competition.
Sabar surprised everyone by grabbing a gold medal at the 2008 Asian Championship for this sports discipline in Chuncheon, South Korea.
“The medal was for my fellow disabled citizens. I want them to stay strong. They’re indeed the same as physically normal people. The only difference is their willpower and undaunted spirit,” said the husband of Leni Indria.
His home is filled with medals and trophies, although he doesn’t long for such awards. “I wish the government would look after the disabled better. So far we’ve remained marginalized.”
According to Sabar, the disabled receive no health, educational and employment support, not even public facilities like lifts or ramps.
“How many malls, government offices, hospitals and banks have special parking spots for the disabled? Even if they have them, people without disabilities will park there. We’re always on the losing side,” he lamented.
When it comes to employing people, noted Sabar, the government and private companies tend to consider handicapped candidates incapable of doing jobs requiring normal physical conditions.
“The disabled are so easily palmed off, and considered less competent workers. This makes them feel inferior as their work environment doesn’t accept them.”
Sabar always speaks passionately about society’s discriminative attitude toward the handicapped.
At home, he runs a business selling backpacks and wall climbing equipment. Once in a while he does office-cleaning work. In the evening, Sabar runs a typical Surakarta food stall with traditional drinks, dishes and snacks to cover his bills.
In the meantime, Sabar is preparing his expedition to Elbrus and Kilimanjaro. Besides his wall climbing practice, he cycles 25 kilometers every morning. Climbing the Kilimanjaro is one of his dreams. So is climbing the Everest (Himalayas) and Carstensz (Jayawijaya mountain range).
“For me, dreams have to be reached through hard work and an unwavering spirit. I wish to stick a pole with our red-and-white national colors there. I hope many communities will support my adventure,” added Sabar, who will be accompanied by three other climbers: Budi Cahyono, Dar Edy Yoga and Bayu Aji.
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