Semarang's Sampangan Merah Putih Cooperative Emptied, Management Questions Status

The management of the Sampangan Merah Putih Village Cooperative (KKMP) in Semarang, Central Java, has been ordered to vacate the building they have occupied since January 2026. The fate of the five managers and three supervisors of KKMP Sampangan is now unclear, as they do not yet know whether they will continue in their roles or be replaced by new management.

Chairman of KKMP Sampangan, Kuncar Asrianto, revealed that he and four other managers were asked to vacate the KKMP Sampangan building on Wednesday (19/8/2026). “I was summoned to the Kodim and then verbally informed that the building had to be vacated. It had to be emptied that very night,” he said in an interview following a meeting with the Semarang City Cooperatives and Micro Enterprises Office at the Sampangan Sub-district Office on Thursday (20/8/2026).

Kuncar added that he negotiated for more time to remove all items from the KKMP Sampangan building. “In the end we were able to delay it, and finally it was vacated yesterday afternoon,” he said.

According to Kuncar, Kodim 0733/Semarang City did not provide a detailed explanation as to why the management had to vacate the KKMP Sampangan building. “The reason given was that this is an order from central command,” he said.

However, Kuncar also received information that the evacuation of the KKMP Sampangan building was carried out because PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara intended to stock the premises. “So PT Agrinas will soon fill the building with goods,” he said.

Nevertheless, he did not know when the restocking of KKMP Sampangan would take place. “Because we have never held discussions with Agrinas,” Kuncar said.

Following the instruction, Kuncar ultimately removed the stock from the KKMP Sampangan building. Some of the stock has been sold, while the remainder, mostly consisting of packaged snacks and bottled mineral water, has been placed at the Sampangan Sub-district Office.

Kuncar admitted he has not yet received clarification on whether he and the four other managers, including the three supervisors, will return as managers of KKMP Sampangan. “Essentially, the leadership hopes that KKMP Sampangan remains operational with its management, and I have been tasked with continuing to encourage the management even though we no longer occupy the building or outlet. Because it has been closed and we cannot occupy it,” he said.

He added that the Semarang City Cooperatives and SMEs Office will seek a location so that the KKMP Sampangan management can resume its business. However, regarding whether they will return as managers of KKMP Sampangan, Kuncar said the Semarang City Cooperatives and SMEs Office has not been able to provide certainty. “I don’t know yet, that hasn’t been discussed,” Kuncar said.

Nevertheless, Kuncar did not deny his disappointment if he and the other managers ultimately no longer manage KKMP Sampangan. He reminded that the establishment of KKMP Sampangan began with community deliberation.

“A cooperative is by, of, and for its members. As far as I know, the land on which KKMP Sampangan was built belongs to the residents of Sampangan, it is Sampangan Sub-district land. We were the ones who handled the permits. Our hope is that we should be the ones occupying it. But if there is a central policy, we cannot do anything about it,” Kuncar said.

Turnover reached tens of millions of rupiah.