PDIP Says Government Could Save Trillions if Military Training for Kopdes Merah Putih is Scrapped

A member of House of Representatives Commission I from the PDI Perjuangan (PDIP) faction, Mayjen TNI (Purn) Tubagus Hasanuddin, has assessed that the government could make significant budget savings if the basic military training component for prospective managers of the Kopdes Merah Putih (Red and White Village Cooperatives) is scrapped and the training is focused entirely on improving managerial competence. According to him, most of the current training costs are absorbed by military activities that are not directly related to the task of managing cooperatives. “Based on the training criteria for seven days costing Rp5 million per participant, the total budget requirement for 45 days reaches around Rp45 million per person. Of that amount, around Rp30 million is used for military training, while Rp15 million is for learning cooperative substance,” Hasanuddin said in a statement. As a member of Commission I, which oversees defence and partners with the Ministry of Defence, Hasanuddin explained that the 45-day training scheme consists of 30 days of military training and 15 days of cooperative substance learning. “This means that if the military training is removed, the state can save around Rp30 million, or about two-thirds of the total training cost per participant,” he said. Hasanuddin stated that if this scheme were applied to all participants nationally, totalling 35,476 people, the potential state budget savings could reach trillions of rupiah. He stressed that the main task of a Kopdes Merah Putih manager is to manage the organisation and develop the business. Therefore, the training material should be directed at improving professional skills relevant to job requirements. “We need cooperative managers who have the ability to manage a business, understand financial governance, marketing, and community empowerment. Therefore, the training must be truly relevant to their job needs,” he said. Hasanuddin also proposed that the financing of managerial training for prospective Kopdes Merah Putih managers become the responsibility of the Ministry of Cooperatives. Meanwhile, managerial training for participants of the Kampung Nelayan Merah Putih (Red and White Fishing Village) programme was proposed to be supported by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries.