President Prabowo orders full government and military support for 'Merah Putih' village cooperatives
President Prabowo Subianto has requested that all ministries and agencies, including the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and the National Police (Polri), fully support the operations of the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives, Merah Putih Sub-district Cooperatives, and Merah Putih Fishermen Cooperatives.
Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan stated that the President’s directive was issued during a limited meeting at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Thursday. “The President has ensured that the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives, Merah Putih Sub-district Cooperatives, and Merah Putih Fishermen Cooperatives must be supported by all ministries and agencies, including the TNI and Polri,” Zulkifli said.
According to Zulkifli, cross-ministerial and institutional support is necessary so that the cooperatives can function as government infrastructure while also acting as the off-taker for various strategic programmes. He explained that the cooperatives will distribute various subsidised goods and government assistance to the public in accordance with the programmes of each ministry and agency. “Therefore, it was reaffirmed that they must be fully supported,” he stated.
The government is also preparing the operations of the cooperatives to ensure they run optimally. Around 25,000 Merah Putih Village Cooperatives are targeted to begin operating between August and September 2026. This number is expected to increase to 35,862 units by the end of 2026. “Two years for improvement and completion. After two years, they will be handed over to the villages because they are village-owned cooperatives,” Zulkifli said.
The limited meeting was also attended by Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra; Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Djamari Chaniago; Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto; Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Muhaimin Iskandar; and Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono. Also present were Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno, Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudha Sadewa, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia, Minister of Cooperatives Ferry Juliantono, Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman, Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, Head of the Special Investigation and Development Control Agency (Bappisus) Aris Marsudiyanto, and Head of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Poverty Alleviation Budiman Sudjatmiko.