Prabowo: Red and White Cooperatives a Blessing, Market Cannot Be Dominated by Tycoons

President Prabowo Subianto has stated that the Red and White Cooperatives (Koperasi Merah Putih) are making history for Indonesia. Thanks to the Red and White Cooperatives, the domestic supply chain is now controlled by the state. “With the Red and White Cooperatives, for the first time in the history of the Republic of Indonesia, since we received sovereignty, the state will control its own supply chain,” he said during a state address at the DPR/MPR Building on Friday (14/8/2026). According to Prabowo, the state’s presence as the master of the supply chain prevents domestic market prices from being controlled by a select few. “So we cannot be played by merchants who wish to manipulate the market,” he said. However, he stressed that the government is not anti-market. The government is committed to maintaining an economy that moves according to market demand and supply. The government’s presence, he continued, is to prevent the market from being regulated by a handful of people with large capital. “We are not anti-market. The economy is based on market movements. However, the market can be manipulated, the market can be damaged, the market can be controlled by those who control large capital,” said the President.