The Indonesian Ministry of Defence will recruit 30,000 development\nofficers (Sarjana Penggerak Pembangunan Indonesia, or SPPI) to manage\nthe Red and White Village Cooperatives (Koperasi Desa Merah Putih).\nThese thousands of SPPI will serve as managers for approximately 80,000\ncooperatives targeted to begin operations in August this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government targets the recruitment and training of around 30,000\nmanagement personnel with the support of the Ministry of Defence,\nIndonesian National Military (TNI), and National Police (Polri),\u201d said\nDeputy Defence Minister Donny Ermawan Taufanto at an acceleration\nmeeting for the Red and White Village Cooperative programme, as stated\nin an official Ministry of Defence statement on Thursday, 12 March\n2026.<\/p>\n
What Is SPPI?<\/p>\n
The SPPI recruitment and education programme by the Ministry of\nDefence was initiated by President Prabowo Subianto when he served as\nDefence Minister in 2020. The original objective was to prepare human\nresources to support the food security programme.<\/p>\n
By July 2025, the Ministry of Defence had certified 32,000 SPPI\npersonnel who were subsequently deployed as heads of free nutritious\nmeal kitchens or nutritional services units across Indonesia. Before\nbeing declared successful and working for the free nutritious meal\nprogramme, SPPI candidates who passed administrative and interview\nselection underwent a three-month education programme administered by\nthe Ministry of Defence.<\/p>\n
SPPI Will Manage Up to 80,000 Cooperatives<\/p>\n
Deputy Defence Minister Donny stated that the recruited SPPI will\nserve as managers for approximately 80,000 Red and White Village\nCooperatives across various regions. The Red and White Village\nCooperatives are one of the priority programmes of the Prabowo Subianto\nand Gibran Rakabuming Raka administration.<\/p>\n
Prospective SPPI applicants will undergo selection and training\nprocesses organised by the Ministry of Defence. However, the duration of\nthe education programme has not yet been confirmed.<\/p>\n
Open to All University Graduates<\/p>\n
Head of Information and Public Relations Bureau at the Defence\nMinistry Secretariat Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait explained\nthat the SPPI recruitment for Village Cooperatives is open to the\npublic. All bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degree holders from any discipline\nmay apply as candidates for leadership positions in these\ncooperatives.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone may participate as long as they meet the requirement of\nhaving a bachelor\u2019s degree as their final education qualification,\u201d said\nRico when contacted on Friday, 13 March 2026.<\/p>\n
SPPI Graduates Will Become Cooperative Managers<\/p>\n
Rico stated that participants who successfully complete the SPPI\nprogramme will be placed as managers at Red and White Village\nCooperatives in various regions of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\u201cSPPI is being prepared to develop human resources that support the\noperations and strengthening of cooperative governance in red and white\nvillage cooperatives as part of rural economic strengthening and to\nserve as managers at these cooperatives,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Education Scheduled to Begin June 2026<\/p>\n
Rico stated that education for the manager positions at Red and White\nVillage Cooperatives is planned to commence in June 2026. Various\nprovisions regarding requirements, recruitment stages, and the SPPI\nselection registration schedule are still under discussion. \u201cCurrently,\nthe government is still coordinating across ministries and agencies and\npreparing the implementation mechanism,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Criticised by Parliamentary Defence Commission Member<\/p>\n
Tubagus Hasanuddin, a member of the House of Representatives\u2019\nCommission I overseeing defence matters, criticised the Ministry of\nDefence\u2019s plan to recruit and manage workers for the red and white\nvillage cooperatives. The retired TNI officer believes that recruitment\nand human resource management for cooperatives should be handed over to\nthe Ministry of Cooperatives.<\/p>\n
He recommended that the Ministry of Defence should instead focus on\nits primary duty as manager of the national defence system. \u201cJust the\nformation of military regional commands and battalions is already\nconsuming time and attention,\u201d said the politician from the Indonesian\nDemocratic Party of Struggle on Sunday, 15 March 2026.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/key-points-to-know-about-sppi-recruitment-for-village-cooperatives-1773626007", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }