Recruitment of Merah Putih Cooperative Managers Must Not Involve Any Cronyism

A member of Commission VI of the House of Representatives, Rivqy Abdul Halim, has called on the government to ensure that the recruitment process for 30,000 managers of the Merah Putih Cooperatives is transparent. He also requested that the merit system, including qualifications, competence, and performance, be applied fairly.

“The recruitment must truly prioritise professionalism. There must be no crony appointments,” he stated in his comments on Saturday, 18 April 2026.

This politician from the National Awakening Party assessed that the position of manager of the Merah Putih Cooperatives is strategic. Therefore, those entrusted with the responsibility must be competent and experienced in managing cooperatives.

In addition, he said that the integrity of candidates for managers of the Merah Putih Cooperatives needs to be prioritised. Because, he said, the management of cooperative finances requires high honesty and responsibility from the cooperative leaders. “If the manager is not trustworthy and engages in misappropriation, the cooperative could collapse,” he remarked.

Previously, the government opened the first stage of recruitment for the positions of 30,000 managers of the Merah Putih Cooperatives. The job openings were officially announced by the Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs and Head of the Task Force for the Formation of Merah Putih Village Cooperatives (Kopdes), Zulkifli Hasan, during a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday, 15 April 2026.

Zulkifli explained that the open selection is aimed at D3, D4, and S1 graduates from all majors, with a maximum age of 35 years and a minimum GPA of 2.75. Registration runs until 24 April 2026 through the official channel https://phtc.panselnas.go.id.

The selection, Zulhas stated, will be conducted openly, transparently, and accountably without any fees. The 30,000 successful Merah Putih Cooperative managers will work under the state-owned enterprise (BUMN) PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara, with a fixed-term employment contract (PKWT) for two years.

“After that, it will be further refined; for two years under the BUMN. After that, if the handover is exactly two years, they will join the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives,” said Zulhas, as quoted from Antara.

He explained that the programme will proceed in stages in line with the government’s targets. The government previously targeted the completion of 30,000 Merah Putih Village Cooperative units by June–July 2026.

The recruitment is coordinated by the BUMN Supervisory Board, supported by various ministries and agencies, including the State Secretariat Ministry, Ministry of State Apparatus Utilisation and Bureaucratic Reform (PAN-RB), Ministry of Cooperatives, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Ministry of Defence, and Ministry of Finance.