Deputy Minister: Digitalisation key to attracting young generation to cooperatives
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Minister of Cooperatives (Wamenkop) Farida Farichah is encouraging cooperatives to adapt to digital developments in order to strengthen governance while attracting the interest of the younger generation to join the cooperative movement.
She said nearly 60 percent of Indonesia’s population is now made up of young people who tend to demand services that are effective, efficient, transparent, and accountable.
“Cooperatives need to adjust their governance to the needs of a society dominated by the younger generation so that they remain relevant amidst the changing times,” Farida said during the Annual Members’ Meeting (RAT) of the Induk Koperasi Pegawai Republik Indonesia for the 2025 fiscal year in Jakarta, Wednesday, as quoted from an official statement.
She stated that the Ministry of Cooperatives continues to encourage every cooperative to undertake digital adaptation so that more young people become interested in becoming members or getting involved in cooperative development.
She believes the younger generation needs to see cooperatives as modern business institutions that are relevant to the times, not as outdated business models.
Farida said cooperatives are business institutions that align with the mandate of Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution because they prioritise the principles of togetherness and mutual cooperation in economic activities.
In addition to being profit-oriented, cooperatives are also said to have strong social values, making them an important instrument in achieving collective public welfare.
According to Farida, the government’s commitment to strengthening the people’s economy also provides momentum for a cooperative revival, including through the Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperative programme currently being developed by the government.
On that occasion, Farida also stressed the importance of the Annual Members’ Meeting as an instrument for members to assess the health of the cooperative and evaluate the performance of the management.
“This RAT is a necessity for members to measure whether the cooperative management is trustworthy or not, whether it aligns with the cooperative’s objectives or not, whether it brings prosperity to its members or not, or whether it only brings prosperity to its management,” Farida said.