By: Usman Nadhir)*
The government has reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable people’s economic development through the launch of the 80 Red and White Village Cooperatives (Kopdes) program as a pilot project across all provinces. This program is the first step in a major plan to establish 80 thousand village and sub-district cooperatives across Indonesia.
This flagship program is not only a symbol of the spirit of mutual cooperation and independence, but is also targeted to be a concrete solution to various structural problems faced by rural communities, from access to capital to the distribution of goods and services. The launch of Kopdes Merah Putih is a strong signal that the era of stagnant cooperatives and only social discourse without real action will soon end.
Minister of Cooperatives and SMEs, Budi Arie Setiadi, explained that this program aims to present a role model for operating village cooperatives that are appropriate and contextual according to the characteristics of each region. In practice, agricultural-based villages certainly have a different approach from agro-maritime villages. Therefore, 80 pilot cooperatives will be used as field laboratories that test the best systems, management processes, and business models before being replicated in thousands of other villages.
Not only about the establishment of cooperatives, the government has also launched the official website kopdesmerahputih.kop.id as a single data-based registration and monitoring system that facilitates coordination between agencies and ensures accountability in cooperative management.
The success of this program is highly dependent on the quality of its human resources. Budi emphasized the importance of leadership, managerial skills, financial discipline, and adaptation to technological developments and digitalization. Therefore, young people in the village are encouraged to take part in managing this cooperative. With a combination of youthful enthusiasm and strong policy support, village cooperatives have the opportunity to become a place for innovation and the creation of new economic value. Through digitalization, cooperatives can connect with a wider market, adopt a transparent recording system, and manage stock and services efficiently.
More than just symbolism, Kopdes Merah Putih was initiated as an answer to the real challenges faced by village communities, including the trap of loan sharks and the rise of illegal online loans (pinjol) that often trap people in a cycle of debt. Deputy Minister of Cooperatives, Ferry Juliantono, said that village cooperatives will be part of a new economic ecosystem that is mutually beneficial between residents.
Cooperatives will not only carry out savings and loan functions, but will also become distribution centers for daily needs, fertilizers, seeds, pesticides, and even provide pharmacies and village clinics. In this context, cooperatives are no longer just collective business units, but are transformed into comprehensive community service centers.
In addition, this program is believed to be able to expand employment opportunities and significantly improve the welfare of rural communities. Batu Mayor Nurochman assessed the establishment of village cooperatives as a strategic step to build the foundation of economic independence at the grassroots level.
The central government will also provide initial capital assistance for each cooperative, so that they can immediately run potential business units such as cheap grocery stores, logistics services, and cold storage facilities for agricultural and fishery products. With this role, Kopdes Merah Putih will become the driving force of the local economy as well as a solution to the problem of supply chains and prices of basic necessities that are often unstable in rural areas.
The Red and White Kopdes Program also marks the presence of a new approach to asset redistribution and economic equality. By making village communities the main subject of economic development, the state encourages growth from the periphery, in line with the spirit of Nawacita which has been the guideline for national development. If so far villages have often been passive objects of development, now through village cooperatives, communities are given an active role as the main actors of change. This is a concrete form of true economic democratization.
Ultimately, the success of Kopdes Merah Putih will not only be the pride of the government, but will also determine the future face of the Indonesian economy. When villages are strong and independent, national resilience will be stronger.
Of course, the success of this program requires support from various parties: central and regional governments, academics, business actors, and even village communities themselves. Cooperative literacy must be improved, mentoring must continue to be carried out, and the monitoring system must be strengthened so that cooperatives do not just exist on paper, but are truly alive and growing. The government also needs to encourage the involvement of the younger generation of villages in managing cooperatives so that innovation and digitalization can be adopted more quickly. Cooperatives must not be trapped in old, stagnant patterns, but must become adaptive, responsive, and professional entities.
This is part of President Prabowo Subianto’s grand vision in building Indonesia from the periphery, strengthening national economic resilience from the village level. That way, all elements of society are expected to fully support the development program of the Red and White Village Cooperative as a joint effort to build community welfare from the village, while simultaneously reorganizing the national economic order to be fairer, more equitable, and sustainable. Cooperatives are not just a thing of the past. In the hands of the new generation of villages, cooperatives are the future of Indonesia.
)* The author is a Public Policy Observer.
