Observer: Scheme for placing red and white village cooperative managers needs clarification

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Cooperative expert Agung Sujatmiko believes the recruitment and placement scheme for village cooperative (kopdes) red and white managers needs clarification to minimise potential conflicts at the village level.

According to Agung, one fundamental aspect that must be ensured is the source of recruitment for that workforce, whether from the local village or from outside the area.

“If recruited, the question is, where does the recruitment source come from? Is it from that village or from outside the village to be placed?” he said when contacted by ANTARA in Jakarta on Saturday.

Agung, who is also Vice Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) for Cooperatives, believes that differences in background can affect on-the-ground effectiveness, particularly in understanding the social and cultural conditions of the village community.

He added that limited understanding of the socio-cultural context could also hinder coordination with village stakeholders, such as the village government.

According to him, such conditions could affect the harmonisation between the implementation of the manager’s duties and support from village officials.

Agung also opined that placing personnel from outside the village could face adaptation challenges, including building acceptance from the local community.

Furthermore, he continued, such conditions could also raise questions from local residents, especially if there are human resources in the village who are still unemployed.

“For example, if there are graduates who are unemployed there, they might think why not take from our village,” he said.

He also warned of potential conflicts if the manager focuses more on implementing tasks from the central government without considering local dynamics.

“It could cause conflict, because they feel assigned by the government and must carry out the programme, but it could distance them from village community participation,” he said.

Nevertheless, Agung believes that recruitment from the local village also has its own challenges, particularly regarding performance incentives.

According to him, closeness to the environment does not always guarantee improved performance or innovation in cooperative management.

Therefore, he emphasised the importance of formulating a clear recruitment, placement, and work contract scheme.

In addition, performance indicators also need to be set in detail as a benchmark for evaluating the manager’s performance during the assignment period.

“So, how is the recruitment, who is recruited, how is the placement, how is the contract, and what are the performance measures, that must be clear,” said Agung.

The government has officially opened recruitment for 30,000 positions as red and white kopdes managers. Registration is open from 15-24 April 2026. Those who pass the selection will work under the auspices of the state-owned enterprise PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara with a fixed-term employment agreement (PKWT) for two years.

The placement of these managers aims to ensure that cooperatives are managed in a modern and professional manner.

Previously, the Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan stated that the placement of workers would prioritise local communities.

“If there are two candidates with the same score, then the one from the nearest area is prioritised,” he said.