The Proud Chauffeur

Haji Akhmari bin Ahmat, circa 1950s

(Image courtesy of Hazrul Azhar Jamari)*

This is Haji Akhmari bin Ahmat, a first-generation immigrant to Singapore from Bawean Island, Indonesia. Like so many from that little speck of land north of Surabaya, he braved the rough Java Sea in search of something better, a chance to build a life of dignity for himself and his family.

He arrived in Singapore with almost nothing. No formal education. Just calloused hands, an unbreakable spirit, and the quiet conviction that things could be better here. It was a hard life. But in his heart, this adopted homeland, with all its struggles, still felt kinder than the island he left behind.

Haji Akhmari eventually found work as a driver. It wasn’t just a job, it was his purpose. The best work he ever had. He drove until the day he retired. With that single income, he raised many children who grew up attending good schools, finding good jobs, and becoming good Singaporeans.

He was never merely a "driver". He was a chauffeur in the truest sense, the man trusted to ferry some of Singapore’s most prominent post-colonial tycoons. Name any famous business figure of the era, and chances are Haji Akhmari had once held the wheel for him.

What made him truly remarkable was that he belonged to a unique tradition. Among the first-generation Baweans here, many took up the work of chauffeurs and did it with an almost sacred pride. To them, a car wasn’t just a vehicle. It was a second home. And for the Bawean, the state of your home spoke volumes: a clean, welcoming space was proof of good family, good upbringing, good lineage.

A tired boss stepping into that spotless car was, in a small way, stepping into comfort, into respect, into trust.

Haji Akhmari may never have thought of himself as part of Singapore’s nation-building story. But he was. Like hundreds of other humble, proud Baweanese men of his generation, he showed up every day with quiet professionalism and did his work so well that it elevated everyone around him.

I am honoured to share a story inspired by this vignette of a little-known chapter in our history for SG60. I look forward to telling these stories of resilience, dignity, and the quiet, everyday greatness that built this place.

*(Image courtesy of Hazrul Azhar Jamari, whose generosity keeps stories like his grandfather’s, part of our pioneer generation, preserved as Singapore’s heritage for generations to come.)

A Socio-Economic History of the Early Baweanese Community through Kampung Boyan