Rosario de Marshall, commonly known as Hercules, is an Indonesian gangster and political broker hailed from the current Timor-Leste. Hercules was a porter for the

Indonesian army The Indonesian Army ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD), ) is the land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,000 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its ...

during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. Once moved to Jakarta, he formed his own preman gang in the Tanah Abang district, ruling the Jakartan criminal underworld during the 1990s. Today, Hercules retains a celebrity status as a fearsome gangster, occasionally appearing on TV programs as well as tabloid magazines. He is also notable for his political ties with the

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

and

2019 Indonesian presidential election General elections were held in Indonesia on 17 April 2019. For the first time in the country's history, the president, the vice president, members of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), and members of local legislative bodies were elected ...

candidate Prabowo Subianto.

Biography

Rosario was born in the 1960s in the Portuguese Timor, growing up during the chaotic era in the backdrop of the

Indonesian invasion of East Timor The Indonesian invasion of East Timor, known in Indonesia as Operation Lotus ( id, Operasi Seroja), began on 7 December 1975 when the Indonesian National Armed Forces, Indonesian military (ABRI/TNI) invaded East Timor under the pretext of anti-c ...

(1975—1976) and the subsequent occupation by the Indonesian national army.Kisah Klasik Hercules, Tentara, dan Preman
''Tirto''. Retrieved July 27, 2019. He first made contact with the Indonesian army through colonel Gatot Purwanto around 1975.Fakta Sangar Hercules, Preman Ganas yang Pernah Ditakuti Seantero Jakarta
''Boombastis''. Retrieved July 27, 2019. He was then orphaned in 1978 after his parents were killed in a bombing hitting the town of

Ainaro Ainaro is a town in East Timor, the capital of the Ainaro suco, the Ainaro administrative post and the Ainaro Municipality, and is located in the southwest part of the country. The town of Ainaro is located 78 km south of Dili, the nat ...

. Since then, he was incorporated as a courier who provided logistical assistance to the Indonesian

special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

, Kopassus under the ''Tenaga Bantuan Operasi'' (TBO) program.Wilson, Ian. (2014)
The perils of loyalty
''New Mandala''. Retrieved July 27, 2019. "Hercules" was a code name given to Rosario by the Kopassus' radio communication team. During his year as a TBO personnel, Hercules was involved in a skirmish with the Falintil pro-independence resistance. His helicopter crashed during the fighting, leading to him losing his right eye and right hand. Hercules was then taken to Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital in Jakarta for operation. Hercules thanked Prabowo Subianto, who was serving a commander of Nanggala commando units, for the support he received during this time. Hercules is known for having "unwavering" loyalty toward Prabowo since then. Since the late 1980s, Hercules settled in Jakarta along with several East Timorese youths, given a job of electrical parts engineer. He soon abandoned the job, moving to the commercial district of Tanah Abang after switching jobs. After settling in Tanah Abang, he formed a preman gang along with the fellow Timorese migrants, including Logo Vallenberg and Alfredo Monteiro Pires. He then immediately succeed to build his enterprise through

racketeering Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. Originally and of ...

and pimping businesses. He also carried out political extortion on behalf of the Indonesian army, to weed out and intimidate pro-independence Timorese movements in Jakarta. His preman empire collapsed in the late 1990s after some of the members of the Hercules gang refused to participate in the pro-integration rally. Since then, his gang lost military protection, and Prabowo allowed other preman gangs to take over Tanah Abang underground. He was dethroned after brutal fighting against Betawi and Madurese gangs, led by figures such as Bang Ucu and

Abraham Lunggana Abraham Lunggana (24 July 195914 December 2021), popularly known as Lulung or Haji Lulung, was an Indonesian politician and businessman who was a member of the People's Representative Council and was the deputy speaker of Jakarta Council. First ...

. After being overthrown from the Tanah Abang underworld, he rebuilt his reputation through debt collecting and security businesses. He owned multiple lands as well as agricultural and fishery businesses, turning him into akin to philanthropist figure. He was a respected figure among the migrants from East Indonesia, providing newcomers jobs, networks as well and protections. He remained in rivalry against other organized crime figures as well, including

John Kei John Refra (September 10, 1969), popularly known as John Kei, is an Indonesian gangster of Sember origin. John Kei has operated a debt collection business through his organization ''Angkatan Muda Kei'' (Kei Youth Force, AMKEI). His debt collection ...

and Basri Sangaji. Since 2008, Prabowo reapproached Hercules after founding the Great Indonesia Movement (''Gerindra'') Party. A social organization called the Peoples Movement for a New Indonesia (GRIB) was established in 2011 by Hercules to mobilize his network of preman gangsters, local strongmen, religious vigilante groups, and ex-militia for the grassroots level political support toward Prabowo.

References

{{reflist, 30em Living people Converts to Islam from Christianity Indonesian former Christians Indonesian Muslims Indonesian occupation of East Timor Indonesian people of East Timorese descent East Timorese Muslims 21st-century criminals 1960s births