Summary

Urban Rewards are older families or households with moderate personal and household incomes.  Socially reserved and more confident using their brawn than brains, they find it hard to switch off from work and often feel there are not enough hours in the day.

Walk with Me

I’m not getting any younger. I’ve been a traffic cop in Bukitinggi for 28 years now. And I still have to do the beat at least once a week. I’ve take in more fumes than anybody should have to. As a sergeant  I now manage a group of 20 younger policemen. In my sector of the city I’ve seen the police force change form dictatorship to democracy. People used to be afraid of us 20 years ago because we were Bayangkara. Now we serve the people. Most of my colleagues my age haven’t really adjusted to the change.  I have. To see the president represent the will of the people, to know that the governor is not God is a real pleasure. 

This country is moving forward, faster than most young people have the patience to understand. We live near a palm plantation about 40 km away. My son and his wife both work there. Who would have thought that Indonesia would become the biggest palm oil producer in the world! When I go home I see the future of my country in the eyes of my grand-kids. On Sundays they help me clean the motorbike. I hope they grow up, finish school and work in Padang one day.

Weekend trips to the big city are always a treat for the whole family.