The First Papuan Son to Win Adhi Makayasa AAL Son of a Parking Attendant

The Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral TNI Yudo Margono, awarded the title of Adhi Makayasa to Sermatutar (F) Always Giving Hamonangan Tiris, the best graduate of the 2021 Naval Academy (AAL).

The 66th batch of AAL graduates is the first Papuan son to receive the award. No one thought that Always came from a simple family in Jayapura City, Papua Province.

The father, Alex Tiris, works as a parking attendant on Jalan Ahmad Yani, Jayapura City. Meanwhile, her mother sells drinks at an elementary school.

Before becoming a parking attendant, Alex Tiris had migrated to Jakarta in the 1990s. He is involved in various professions, from boxing athlete to security guard. While being a security guard, Alex Tiris also spent a lot of time on church activities. At the house of worship he met his wife, Dirmawaty Panjaitan.

They married in 1995. From that marriage, Alex and Dirmawaty were blessed with five children. In 1998, Alex and Dirmawaty, who just had two children, decided to return to Jayapura because of the riots that broke out in Jakarta.

Coming to Jayapura with inadequate financial conditions, Alex was forced to take his wife and two children to live at his parents' house in the Polimak area.

"So there we have several families living in the same house," said Alex in Jayapura, Thursday (24/6/2021).

Alex also worked odd jobs to provide for the family. He worked as a scrap metal collector to a construction worker, which he worked for almost seven years.

In 2005, Alex met a friend, Yance Awom, who asked him to become a parking attendant. He does not realize that he has been in this profession for 17 years and his five children are now growing.

When he heard that his third child, Always Giving Hamonangan Tiris, received the Adhi Makayasa award, Alex said he was surprised.

He never imagined that his third child would receive the best graduate award. For him, when Always graduated as an AAL cadet in 2017, it was a gift he never dreamed of. Moreover, his second child, Aldre Bengur Tiris, had already entered the AAL and graduated in 2018.

"Until Adhi Makayasa got it, I couldn't say anything, I could only cry in gratitude and pray to God," he said.

As a parking attendant, Alex admits that he keeps trying hard. In addition, he is always grateful for the income he gets.

On average, Alex earns around Rp. 300,000 in a day. Some of the money is set aside for church needs, partly for retribution to the Jayapura City Government, the rest is handed over to his wife. As a parent, Alex just wants his children to go to the best place. He was grateful that his wish came true.

His five children are educated at SMAN 5 Jayapura, one of the leading schools in the city. With the achievements made by Always Giving Hamonangan Tiris, Alex from Sarmi Regency hopes that this can be an example for other Papuan children.

"This is the state's concern for Papua, it's just a matter of how we prepare Papuan children to respond to the state's attention," said Alex.

Meanwhile, the mother, Dirmawaty Panjaitan, admitted that she was very touched by the achievements of her third son who was born on March 15, 1999. Dirmawaty was seen several times wiping tears while telling stories. Happiness covered the face of the mother of five.

The mother admitted that she and her husband tried to give the best for the child. Since 2007, he has helped the family's economy by selling.

"I wake up every day at three (dawn) to prepare food for the children, for me there is no reason for my child not to go to school even for one day," he said.

However, the results obtained still depend on the intentions and wishes of the child. According to Dirmawaty, Always is a disciplined child who excels in school.

"Always since elementary school has had extraordinary achievements, high school is ranked sixth in general (in Papua) and became Papua's envoy for the PJTA in 2015," he said.

With the economic limitations of his parents, Always always tries hard to get something, including when trying to get into AAL. Without being directed, Always always maintains his physical condition well and continues to improve his academic abilities on a self-taught basis.

"He always goes to school at 6.00 and returns at 17.30, he is only at school. When he comes home he doesn't come out anymore," he said.

What Always has achieved not only makes his family proud, but can also be a motivation for other Papuan youths.

"I want our son to come forward so that he becomes an example for our brothers and sisters in Papua. There are many of our brothers in Sarmi who do not know about education," said Dirmawaty.

He also appreciated Lantamal X Jayapura for providing guidance for their children to enter AAL. Meanwhile, the Commander of Lantamal X, Laksma TNI Yeheskiel Katiandagho, said he was proud of the Always Giving achievement of Hamonangan Tiris who registered for AAL through Lantamal X.

According to him, Always's achievements prove that anyone can enter AAL and become the best.

"This is proof that the development of the Navy through Lantamal X really exists for the community. Papuan children have a very wide opportunity (to enter the Navy), there is no discrimination and they are actually able to show it to the world," said Yeheskiel.

Adi Makayasa Award, he said, is the highest award at the level of military education.

Yeheskiel also gave the highest appreciation to Always's parents who were considered successful in educating their son to the current highest level of education.

SOURCE: https://regional.kompas.com/read/2021/06/25/061000378/saat-juru-parkir-di-jayapura-anak-jadi-putra-papua-pertama-yang-raih?page=all