Sri Edi Swasono Receives Amerta Bakti Award, Confident Cooperatives Will Advance
University of Indonesia economics professor Sri Edi Swasono has received the Anugerah Amerta Bakti award at the Koperasi Awards 2026 held at the St. Regis Hotel in Jakarta. Sri Edi said he was delighted to receive the award and expressed hope that cooperatives would no longer be looked down upon.
In his remarks, Sri Edi mentioned that he had previously turned down the highest award in the cooperative sector several years ago. “I am very happy to receive this award. I should say that three years ago I received the highest award from the cooperative movement, but I rejected it. I rejected that Lifetime Achievement Award,” Sri Edi said at the St. Regis Hotel, South Jakarta, on Thursday (20/8/2026).
He explained that the rejection was based on his concern about the position of cooperatives in Indonesia’s economic structure, which he said remained marginalised. “Because cooperatives are not yet integrated nationally with the national economy. So cooperatives still appear to be squeezed in, separate, and not yet integrated with the national economy,” Sri Edi said.
He also highlighted the mandate of Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution concerning Economic Democracy. According to him, there is a misconception in society that regards cooperatives merely as business entities, whereas cooperatives should be the mindset of all economic actors in Indonesia.
“What is actually meant by building businesses in accordance with cooperative principles is that our mindset, the Indonesian mindset, and the Indonesian economy are all based on cooperative principles. That means based on cooperation,” Sri Edi explained.
He stressed the importance of synergy between state-owned enterprises, the private sector, and cooperatives. The three elements must prioritise mutual cooperation and the principle of kinship.
“Between state-owned enterprises, the private sector, and cooperatives there should in fact be national cooperation. We prioritise national cooperation, mutual assistance, togetherness, and the principle of kinship. That means we do not quarrel and compete with each other, but rather cooperate with each other,” he said.
On the other hand, Sri Edi expressed optimism about the current development of cooperatives. He believes that under the leadership of Minister of Cooperatives Ferry Juliantono, cooperatives will no longer be looked down upon.
“Cooperatives can still be advanced further, especially because we have a new Minister of Cooperatives. I have had many discussions with him; his thinking is similar to mine and similar to Bung Hatta’s. So it is not difficult to encourage him to advance Indonesian cooperatives,” Sri Edi said.