Minister Yandri: Village Cooperative Revenue to be Returned 80% to Residents

Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDT) Yandri Susanto has targeted the management of the Merah Putih Village Cooperative (KDKMP) to boost the welfare of residents. The cooperative is expected to make a real contribution to villages. Yandri stated that the KDKMP programme is a concrete manifestation of the 12 Village Development Actions initiated by President Prabowo Subianto. The programme utilises village funds managed professionally. “If we manage these village funds well into the Merah Putih Village Cooperative, at least 20 percent of the cooperative’s revenue will become the Village’s Original Income, and 80 percent will be returned to the village people,” Yandri said during the KDKMP National Seminar at the Sasana Kriya Building, Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, Jakarta, on Thursday. The Ministry of Villages is committed to making this programme a success to realise the vision of a Golden Indonesia. Yandri is optimistic that villages will become a major economic force for the republic. “There is a saying: Indonesia will not shine because of one big torch in Monas, but Indonesia will glow because of the small candles lit in the villages,” he asserted. The idea of returning 80 percent of the benefits to the people aligns with the views of academic expert Prof. Dr. Hamdi Muluk, M.Si. Hamdi assessed that the true spirit of cooperatives is to nurture harmony and the family economy. “The spirit of our nation is actually a spirit of mutual cooperation and kinship. We want to build a village economy that is managed together, and the results are enjoyed together,” Hamdi said in his presentation. Hamdi emphasised that for this welfare to be achieved, KDKMP must operate like a professional business entity that is fully owned by and benefits the residents, not just a handful of elites. On the other hand, Yandri ensured that the presence of KDKMP would not kill existing residents’ businesses. KDKMP will instead collaborate with Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes) and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as well as small shops. “There will be no mutual elimination or bringing each other down. We will arrange it so that we strengthen each other,” Yandri concluded.