Purbaya Assures Kopdes Employees' Salaries Will Not Burden the State Budget, Here Is the Funding Source
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has assured that the policy on paying salaries for Kopdes Merah Putih cooperative employees will not add new burdens to the State Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBN).
Purbaya emphasised that the funding comes from allocations already available in the Kopdes programme, not from additional new budget.
“So it’s not adding to the budget, but not all have been formed yet, so there is still a surplus,” said Purbaya to journalists at the Ministry of Finance in Jakarta on Monday (4/5/2026).
According to this state treasurer, the fiscal space emerged because the target for establishing Kopdes Merah Putih has not been fully realised, leaving funds that can be utilised in the short term.
“It’s like this, Kopdes Merah Putih is allocated a certain amount per year. Not all have been formed, right? So there is still extra money that can be used for that in the meantime. It’s only for the next two years. So, the money is there,” he explained.
The financing comes from the Association of State-Owned Banks (Himbara), while repayment is handled through the APBN at Rp40 trillion per year.
Purbaya explained that the decision to use the surplus budget was made after discussions at the technical level, although he admitted not receiving direct reports from his subordinates before the policy was agreed upon.
“Apparently my staff had already met with them. But no report. So, alright, it’s already signed. So, the financing is clear,” Purbaya concluded.
Although the exact salary amounts for Kopdes Merah Putih managers are still under discussion, the scheme follows the Fixed-Term Employment Agreement (PKWT).
The government is still considering and refining the salary payment for prospective applicants who will be accepted as Kopdes managers.
In addition, registration and selection are still ongoing, giving the government time to finalise the salary scheme until June 2026.
“PKWT has its regulations. We don’t just give salaries arbitrarily. So don’t worry,” explained Tedi, quoted from Kontan, on Monday (20/4/2026).
The government, through Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan alias Zulhas, announced that recruitment for 35,476 individuals to manage Kopdes Merah Putih and Red White Fishermen’s Village (KNMP) cooperatives opened on 15 April 2026.
Those who pass the selection will become state-owned enterprise (BUMN) employees under a PKWT scheme for two years.