Gibran: Village Cooperatives Must Not Compete with Village-Owned Enterprises

Vice President Gibran Rakabuming has ordered that the Kopdes Merah Putih village cooperatives must not compete with other business units in the village. He stated that Kopdes should become part of the village economy, not a rival to business actors who have already developed earlier. According to Gibran, the establishment of Kopdes must be carefully designed. “Do not let it compete with BUMDes (village-owned enterprises) or compete with residents’ grocery stalls. Ensure this becomes an ecosystem that complements each other,” he said in a written statement. The son of former president Joko Widodo conveyed this message during a dialogue with residents of Niowula Village, Ende Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, on Thursday, 18 June 2026. Gibran is currently on a working visit to Indonesia’s eastern region, accompanied by five university students to observe the visit. Gibran said the determination of the cooperative’s location needs to be studied carefully by involving the community. The aim is to avoid negative impacts or harm to residents’ businesses around the site. The Vice President stated that determining the location of the Kopdes Merah Putih must consider various aspects, including its impact on schools, BUMDes, and small business operators in the vicinity. “Do not let these children be disturbed in their teaching and learning process. The new location must be determined soon, and once it is decided, of course through discussion with residents, it should be built immediately,” said the former mayor of Solo. Gibran conveyed that the participatory approach to building Kopdes is in line with President Prabowo Subianto’s directives, particularly to ensure that the implementation of priority government programmes benefits the community without creating new problems at the local level. He emphasised that local governments, village officials, and all stakeholders are extensions of the central government in ensuring priority programmes run optimally. “We want to ensure the President’s programmes run well, especially in remote areas like this,” Gibran said. During the working visit to NTT, Gorontalo, and Papua from 18 to 21 June 2026, Gibran brought along five students from various universities. The students are Daffa Ulhaq from the University of Indonesia, Keletus Sakaro from Sanata Dharma University, Nolan Christopher Adam from Pelita Harapan University, Salsabila Maulida from the Indonesian Institute of Arts and Culture, and Rapid Bena Martin from Jenderal Soedirman University. Gibran said the involvement of students is part of efforts to strengthen oversight of the implementation of the free nutritious meal programme (MBG) and the Kopdes Merah Putih in the regions. He said this step is a follow-up to various aspirations conveyed by students regarding the implementation of the government’s priority programmes. The student involvement takes place amid a strengthening wave of student demonstrations criticising a number of government programmes, such as the free nutritious meals and Kopdes Merah Putih. One instance was when a student alliance from various campuses held a demonstration at the Bundaran HI in Jakarta on Friday, 12 June 2026, bringing at least five demands for President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, including the cessation of the MBG programme and the construction of Kopdes Merah Putih.