Gibran: Red and White Village Cooperatives Must Not Compete with Local Grocery Shops

Vice President (Wapres) Gibran Rakabuming has stressed that the Red and White Village Cooperatives (KDMP), also known as Kopdes Merah Putih, must become part of a village economic ecosystem that mutually strengthens community enterprises, rather than becoming competitors for business operators who have already developed earlier. This message was conveyed by the Vice President during a dialogue with residents at Wolomoni Primary School, Niowula Village, Detusoko District, Ende Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, on Thursday, 18 June 2026, as part of a review of the government’s priority programme implementation in disadvantaged, frontier, and outermost (3T) regions. According to Gibran, the establishment of Kopdes Merah Putih must be carefully designed to strengthen the village economy whilst providing benefits to all levels of society. “Make sure it does not compete with BUMDes, nor compete with residents’ grocery shops. Ensure this becomes a mutually reinforcing ecosystem,” Gibran asserted. He emphasised that the determination of the cooperative’s location needs to be carefully assessed by involving the community so as not to cause negative impacts on residents’ businesses or educational activities around the site. “Village head, regent, please pay close attention to where the cooperative’s location is. Whether any party is disadvantaged, what the impacts are, must be properly assessed,” he said. He also reminded that the determination of the cooperative’s location should consider various aspects, including its impact on schools, Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes), and small business operators in the vicinity. “Do not let these children be disturbed in their teaching and learning process. The new location should be determined immediately and once it is decided, of course through discussion with residents, it should be built promptly,” he said. He reiterated the importance of community participation in determining the location for building the village cooperative. “Please, in determining the site, it must be truly assessable, involving residents, discussing with residents, do not let anyone be affected, do not let anyone be disadvantaged,” he stated. According to him, this participatory approach is in line with President Prabowo Subianto’s directive that the implementation of government priority programmes should provide the widest possible benefits to the community without creating new problems at the local level. He stressed that local governments, village officials, and all stakeholders are extensions of the central government in ensuring that priority programmes run optimally.