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Legless pickup driver struggles to get driver's license
Born disabled, Nawir, 29, felt he had no choice but to be a beggar. But after his daughter was born, the legless man made up his mind to stand on his own “two feet” by becoming a pickup truck driver. But the police may shatter his dream.
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Born disabled led Nawir, 29, to become a beggar. But seeing his newborn daughter for the first time made the legless determined to stand on his own two "feet” by learning to drive a pickup truck. (kompas.com/Sukoco)
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orn disabled, Nawir, 29, felt he had no choice but to be a beggar. But after his daughter was born, the legless man made up his mind to stand on his own two "feet” by becoming a pickup truck driver. But the police may shatter his dream.
Living in Nunukan, North Kalimantan, Nawir was born without legs from the lower part of the thigh. His right limb is only 20 centimeters in length, while the left one is 10 cm. He used to live off charity and the sympathy of others by begging in the local market.
However, after his first child was born, he had an epiphany that changed his life. "I couldn’t imagine my children knowing that I made a living off the sympathy of others," he said.
Nawir then looked for business opportunities and found that seaweed farmers in Nunukan needed someone to transport their products to buyers and the ports. One of his social media friends offered him to a job managing his pickup truck.
However, the main problem lay in his disability: how could a legless man drive a pickup?
He tackled the problem by using bamboo to extend the reach of his limbs. To reach the pedals, he set up three 50 cm lengths of bamboo that he use to work the accelerator, brake and clutch pedals. It took him only a month to learn to drive and to do maintenance on the vehicle.
"Now I can maintain, service and drive this vehicle myself. I learned how within a month from a driver," he said as quoted by kompas.com.
He took out a bank loan to buy a secondhand blue pickup for Rp 80 million (US$6,070) and has to pay Rp 5 million in monthly installments for one year.
Bureaucracy
Unfortunately, a problem related to bureaucracy has appeared.
Despite being able to drive using bamboo as legs, the Nunukan Police have yet to issue him a driver’s license, even though he passed the driving test seven months ago. He also faces difficulty in renewing the roadworthiness certificate of his pickup.
"I don't know why my driver’s license has not been issued. After the test, the police officer said my driving technique was good," he explained.
When questioned about the matter, Nunukan Police head of traffic operations Abu Sangit said he would communicate Nawir’s complaint to his team.
"There is a D-type driver’s license for drivers with disabilities like Nawir. We will help him as long as no regulations are breached. If he obtained a health certificate and passed the test, then there is no reason not to issue him with a license," he said. (ags)
