Government Ensures Training for Village Cooperative Managers Continues Despite Five Deaths

The government has confirmed that basic military training for prospective managers of the ‘Merah Putih’ village cooperatives and fishing villages will not be halted. Since mid-June, five participants of the Sarjana Penggerak Pembangunan Indonesia (SPPI) programme have died during the training. The causes of death varied, including cardiac arrest, heat stroke, and tuberculosis. ‘In general, because this process is already underway and the managers for the Merah Putih Cooperatives need to start working soon, the training will continue. However, input from various parties is certainly being taken into account,’ said Juri at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Monday, 29 June 2026. Juri stressed that the government is taking corrective steps following the deaths of the participants. He stated that evaluations are being conducted to ensure no further loss of life. ‘The point is to mitigate so that problems like the five deaths that have occurred do not happen again. So, God willing, going forward it has been anticipated so there will be no more casualties,’ he said. According to Juri, the education for prospective managers of President Prabowo Subianto’s priority programme is not merely about managerial skills. ‘It is also about equipping them to become managers who truly understand and have a strong commitment to the nation,’ he added. Juri concluded, ‘Everything is still running, but it is being improved and evaluated to make it better.’ The first wave of basic military training for village cooperative and fishing village managers took place from 17 June to 31 July 2026, with a total of 35,476 participants. This comprised 30,000 prospective managers for the Merah Putih Cooperatives and 5,476 for the Merah Putih Fishing Villages. However, five participants died within the first ten days of the programme. The Ministry of Defence stated that the basic military training has now been adjusted. Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait, Head of the Defence Information Bureau at the Ministry of Defence, said that reducing the intensity of physical and tactical military-style activities is part of the evaluation following the five deaths. ‘In principle, the essence of forming discipline and character remains, but the implementation is made more adaptive for participants from civilian backgrounds,’ he said on Sunday, 28 June 2026.