DPR Member: Changes to Latsarmil Must Not Be in Name Only
Oleh, a member of Commission I of the House of Representatives (DPR), has urged the Ministry of Defence to ensure that the changes to the training programme for prospective managers of the ‘Merah Putih’ village cooperatives—previously involving basic military training (Latsarmil)—are not merely a change in nomenclature. He is pushing for the overhaul of the programme to target learning methods, materials, and training systems specifically tailored to enhance the capacity of cooperative managers.
“This change must not be limited to a change in name. The programme must truly be transformed, including its materials, methods, and implementation,” Oleh stated in a written statement on Tuesday, 30 June 2026.
According to the politician from the Nationalist Awakening Party (PKB), the Ministry of Defence made the right decision to discontinue basic military training as it was irrelevant to the duties and functions of prospective cooperative managers. He believes that these candidates more urgently require capacity building in management, leadership, organisational governance, and cooperative business development.
“A thorough evaluation must be conducted to ensure training is more effective, relevant to the participants’ needs, and, most importantly, no longer results in fatalities,” added Oleh.
Separately, Rifqy Abdul Halim, a member of Commission VI of the DPR, proposed reducing the training duration from one month to 15 days. He believes that by doing so, the preparation for prospective cooperative managers could focus more on direct mentoring within successful cooperatives and internships alongside professional business actors.
Rifqy noted that in developed nations such as Japan, the success of cooperatives is built through human resource capacity building rather than excessive physical approaches. Similarly, in the Netherlands, large cooperatives thrive because they are managed by individuals with strong business competence and accountability.
“Indonesia needs to adopt these best practices. The Merah Putih village/sub-district cooperative programme will succeed if it is managed by professional, high-integrity human resources who understand business and are nurtured sustainably,” he said.
The Ministry of Defence has announced a change in the nomenclature of the basic military training within the recruitment series for prospective managers of the Merah Putih village cooperatives. The Head of the Defence Information Bureau, Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait, stated that the change in the activity’s name is part of an evaluation following the deaths of five participants during basic military training.