Minister Questions Students Opposing Village Cooperatives: 'Where Are They From?'
Minister of Cooperatives Ferry Juliantono has questioned the elements of student groups rejecting the Koperasi Desa Merah Putih (Red and White Village Cooperative) programme. He suspects that students opposing the Kopdes initiative are effectively against the constitutional mandate.
“This village cooperative is a mandate of the law. If students are against Article 33 (of the 1945 Constitution), which country are these students from?” he said at the Parliament complex in Jakarta on Wednesday, 17 June 2026.
He stated that the Koperasi Merah Putih programme aims to drive a productive economy with the people as the main actors. The people, he said, need business entities so the national economy can recover. He noted that a programme of this kind is being implemented for the first time. Therefore, Ferry said the Koperasi Merah Putih programme is not easy to execute, including aspects of building infrastructure, establishing legal entities, and operationalisation.
“Don’t be pessimistic. How can students not support the people? Which students are these?” Ferry remarked.
The Koperasi Desa Merah Putih programme has become one of the points of contention in student demonstrations across several regions. One such protest was held by a student alliance at the Bundaran HI roundabout in Jakarta on 12 June 2026. They brought at least five demands to the administration of President Prabowo Subianto, including the cessation of the free nutritious meals (MBG) programme and the Kopdes Merah Putih.
Chairman of the University of Indonesia Student Executive Board (BEM UI), Yatalathof Ma’shum Imawan, said the current economic and political conditions in Indonesia are dire. He cited rising rice prices, shrinking job opportunities, and people struggling to pay taxes as examples. “What is the government doing? Busy polishing its image while distributing projects to cronies,” he said.
He assessed that the economy is only growing on paper, while on the people’s dining tables, conditions remain difficult. Athof stressed that the protest was not about political differences, but about who is truly being harmed: the people. “We believe we have given too much time and opportunity. Because criticism through data has also been conveyed and always ignored. Moreover, the government chooses to evade rather than take responsibility,” Athof said.