MP Reveals Military Training for Cooperative Managers Costs Rp30 Million Per Person

House of Representatives Commission I member TB Hasanuddin has revealed that the Basic Military Training (Latsarmil) for prospective managers of the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives (KDMP) costs up to Rp30 million per person. According to Hasanuddin, this amount accounts for the largest portion of the total training budget of Rp45 million, as only Rp15 million is allocated for 15 days of substantive learning. “The total budget requirement for 45 days reaches around Rp45 million per person. Of that amount, approximately Rp30 million is used for military training, while Rp15 million is for learning cooperative substance,” Hasanuddin said in a statement on Monday (29/6). He argued that if the military training were removed, the state could save trillions of rupiah for the total 35,474 training participants across Indonesia. Hasanuddin considers military training a non-priority, as the main task of cooperative managers is to manage organisations and develop businesses, so training should be oriented towards professional competence, not physical or military drills. “We need cooperative managers who have the ability to manage businesses, understand financial governance, marketing, and community empowerment. Therefore, the training must be truly relevant to their job requirements,” he said. The PDIP politician hopes the government will conduct a thorough evaluation of the training design to make it more effective, efficient, and targeted. He wants the programme to be more efficient without excessively burdening the budget. The first wave of training is scheduled for 17 June to 31 July 2026, with 35,474 participants, consisting of 30,000 prospective Merah Putih Village Cooperative managers and 5,474 prospective Merah Putih Fishermen Village managers. As of the time this news was published, there had been no statement or comment from the Ministry of Defence or the Ministry of Cooperatives regarding TB Hasanuddin’s remarks on the training budget.