Cooperatives Minister Responds to Parody Videos of Red and White Village Cooperatives

Minister of Cooperatives Ferry Juliantono has responded to a trend of parody videos about the Red and White Village Cooperatives (Kopdes Merah Putih) that have been widely circulating on social media. The videos highlight policies related to the village cooperatives, such as military training for managers and the selection of locations deemed unstrategic, wrapping the criticism in humour.

According to Ferry, satire is commonplace in the social media era. “They actually mean well and are reminding us that there are things we need to evaluate,” he said at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday, 7 July 2026.

Ferry stated that he accepts the parody trend as input. The government, he said, will use the criticism as a consideration in improving the policy. On the other hand, Ferry noted that the public should see that not all Red and White Cooperatives are experiencing the conditions depicted in the parodies. For example, he said, not all cooperative buildings are in unstrategic locations. “That is only a few, but it went viral,” he said.

The Red and White Village Cooperative is one of President Prabowo Subianto’s priority programmes. The government has launched the cooperative as a business unit in villages and sub-districts with the aim of strengthening the people’s economy and promoting equity at the village level.

However, the programme has not been free from criticism. One controversy arose after five prospective cooperative managers died during mandatory basic military training. Deputy Minister of Defence Donny Ermawan Taufanto said the causes of death for the five participants varied. However, his agency has drawn a conclusion regarding the contributing factors. “Firstly, due to exhaustion, then changes in lifestyle,” Donny said at the Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Wednesday, 1 July 2026.

According to Donny, the change in lifestyle played a role in the incident. This is because the participants, who lived civilian lives daily, suddenly had to adapt to the lifestyle in a military barracks. The lifestyle in a military barracks, which demands discipline, is suspected to have triggered the incident because the five participants were not ready or were shocked by the adaptation. “In addition, there was also the weather factor,” Donny said.

Another cause, according to Donny, was pre-existing medical conditions. During the selection process, the Ministry of Defence had actually conducted health assessments with detection results within safe limits. He then continued that the third cause was related to lung disease. Donny argued that of the five participants who died, two had pre-existing lung conditions. “This is what caused certain cases. However, this incident may have been caused by the aforementioned changes in lifestyle and weather, causing the participants’ already limited condition to end in death,” Donny said.

The five participants who died during the basic military training were Nola Dya Sari, Novia Rahmadhani Sihotang, Anisa Muyassaroh, Yonanda Muhammad Taufiq, and Muhammad Rifki Renaldi Gunawan.

The location of the cooperatives has also come under scrutiny. In several viral videos, cooperatives have been seen standing on land near cemeteries, in rice fields, and even on hilltops.