Minister Rini: Recruitment of Indonesian Development Driver Graduates Not for Civil Servants

Minister for State Apparatus Utilization and Bureaucratic Reform (PANRB) Rini Widyantini stated that the recruitment of 30,000 Indonesian Development Driver Graduates (SPPI) conducted by the Ministry of Defense aims to prepare human resources with the capacity to manage Merah Putih village cooperatives. According to Rini, the tens of thousands of selected individuals who will serve as managers in 80,000 village cooperatives are not being prepared to become civil servants or ASN. “The programme conducted through SPPI is the preparation of human resource capacity, not recruitment to become Civil Servants,” said Rini via a short message on Sunday, 15 March 2026. Rini explained that the SPPI programme is essentially a follow-up to the directive from President Prabowo Subianto, who wishes to strengthen the capacity of human resources supporting the management of cooperatives at the village and sub-district levels. In this regard, the Ministry of Defense is claimed to play a role in preparing candidate managers who are disciplined and capable of leading the professional development of village cooperatives. Rini stated that the Ministry of PANRB ensures that the regulations in the governance of SPPI recruitment refer to applicable statutory provisions, including in the ASN management system and merit system principles. “Coordination with relevant ministries and institutions will continue to be carried out so that the policies taken remain aligned with organisational needs and good governance,” she said. The Head of the Information and Public Relations Bureau of the Ministry of Defense Secretariat, Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait, conveyed that those who pass to become SPPI will occupy manager positions in Merah Putih Village Cooperatives in various regions. The SPPI recruitment is scheduled to begin in June 2026.