Marines Reveal Daily Routine for Kopdes Manager Candidates During Military Training

The Indonesian Marine Corps has outlined the daily routine for participants of the basic military training programme for members of the Sarjana Penggerak Pembangun Indonesia (SPPI), who are prospective managers of the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives (Kopdes).

Commander of the SPPI Training Battalion at the 1st Marine Infantry Brigade in Cilandak, Lieutenant Colonel (Mar) Agus Mutaqin, stated that the participants’ day begins with a wake-up call at 04:30 WIB. “They then perform Subuh (dawn) prayers. Afterwards, we continue with physical exercise and fitness training, followed by breakfast,” Agus said when met by journalists at the Marine headquarters in Cilandak, East Jakarta, on Thursday.

Following breakfast, the participants take part in a morning assembly, marching drills, and subsequently enter the classroom for instructional material. After attending classes until the afternoon, the participants are engaged in a “pengasuhan” (mentoring) session led by the trainers. “Pengasuhan is the provision of foundational knowledge, including environmental orientation, etiquette during their time here, basic military drill attitudes, and so forth. This also includes lessons on uniformity and solidarity,” Agus explained.

Once all activities are completed, the participants are permitted to rest, pray, and eat before retiring for the night at 21:30 WIB. Agus noted that the entire series of activities is conducted under the guidance of Marine Corps trainers. The trainers also implement a system of punishments and rewards for participants who violate regulations or demonstrate outstanding performance during the education programme. The punishments administered are not based on general military standards but are instead tailored to the participants’ capabilities. The objective of this disciplinary and reward system is to enhance the participants’ sense of discipline and motivation throughout the training. Agus confirmed that the entire training programme has been proceeding safely and smoothly so far. He expressed hope that the current training cycle would be completed successfully and that all participants would gain useful knowledge to apply when managing the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives.