Military-Style Training for 'Red and White' Cooperative Managers to Continue Despite Deaths
The government has confirmed that training for managers of the Village/Subdistrict ‘Red and White’ Cooperatives (Koperasi Merah Putih) will continue, despite calls for its suspension after five participants died during basic military training (latsarmil). An evaluation and improvements will be carried out to prevent a recurrence of the incident.
Deputy Minister of State Secretary Juri Ardiantoro stated that the government has received various inputs from the public regarding the incident. He said all feedback would serve as evaluation material to ensure the education and training process runs more smoothly.
He explained that the Ministry of Defence had previously expressed its condolences over the event while also preparing corrective measures for the training programme for prospective managers of the ‘Red and White’ Cooperatives.
“Input from the public and various parties regarding the incident is certainly heard and considered by the government, and it will be used as material to evaluate so that this training process becomes better,” Juri said at the Presidential Office on Monday (29/6).
Nevertheless, Juri stressed that the training would not be halted. He stated that the recruitment and preparation process must continue because the managers of the ‘Red and White’ Cooperatives are needed to begin their duties immediately.
“In general, because this process is already underway and the managers for the ‘Red and White’ Cooperatives must start working soon, the training will continue. However, input from various parties is certainly being taken into account,” he said.
Juri explained that the training provided to prospective managers does not solely focus on cooperative management skills. They also receive preparation regarding national commitment through mental and ideological education.
According to him, this material is retained as part of character building for the managers. However, its implementation will be continuously evaluated to ensure it proceeds more effectively.
“These managers are equipped not only with managerial skills to run the ‘Red and White’ Cooperatives, but also with the preparation to become managers who truly understand and have a strong commitment to the nation,” he said.
When asked whether the evaluation would change the content or format of the basic military training, Juri did not provide details. He said the technical aspects would be decided by the organising committee, which understands the field implementation.
He added that communication and coordination between the government and the organisers are ongoing, although not all discussions are disclosed to the public.
The government’s main focus, Juri said, is to ensure that mitigation measures are strengthened so that no further lives are lost in subsequent training sessions.
“The point is to mitigate so that problems like the deaths of those five people do not happen again. So, God willing, going forward it has been anticipated so there will be no more casualties,” he stated.
Juri also confirmed there would be improvements in the training’s implementation, although the technical details are still being prepared by the committee.
“Technically, of course, our colleagues there understand. There will definitely be improvements,” Juri concluded.