At 79th National Cooperative Day, Prabowo feels cooperatives are family

President Prabowo Subianto said he felt cooperatives were like family when attending the peak celebration of the 79th National Cooperative Day (Harkopnas) in 2026 at Indonesia Arena, Jakarta, on Sunday. “In truth, it is because I feel I am among my own family. Cooperatives, indeed, I feel are my family,” Prabowo said in his speech. The President admitted to having a closeness with the cooperative movement because he has long been involved in cooperative circles, including at the Induk Koperasi Unit Desa (Inkud) and several other cooperative organisations. Furthermore, he said, the cooperative movement has always been with him, including when he contested the presidential election, until he finally received the mandate from the Indonesian people as Head of State. “Even though I lost the presidential election several times, I felt the cooperative movement was always with me. We have not succeeded yet, but we continue to fight for Indonesia, and finally I received the mandate from the Indonesian people,” Prabowo said. “And I will carry out that mandate with all my might. I will fight with all my strength for the greatest prosperity of the Indonesian people,” he added. On that occasion, Prabowo also extended his congratulations on the 79th Cooperative Day to all Indonesian cooperative members across various regions. The President stressed that the meaning of cooperatives is cooperation and mutual assistance. According to him, all human activities are essentially a form of cooperation. Cooperatives are also a means for ordinary people to gather strength through togetherness. The President likened cooperatives to a broomstick that becomes strong when united. “Cooperatives are a tool for the weak, a tool for the poor. But, like a broomstick, one stick, one stick, one stick, one stick, is weak. But joined together, that is your strength, brothers and sisters,” he asserted. The peak event of the 79th Harkopnas was also attended by MPR RI Chairman Ahmad Muzani, DPD RI Chairman Sultan B. Najamuddin, Minister of Cooperatives Ferry Juliantono, General Chairman of the Indonesian Cooperative Council (Dekopin) Bambang Haryadi, Chairman of the Dekopin Advisory Board who is also Army Chief of Staff General TNI Maruli Simanjuntak, Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar, ministers and members of the Red and White Cabinet, as well as representatives of the family of Indonesia’s first Vice President Mohammad Hatta, known as the Father of Indonesian Cooperatives.