Village Cooperative Managers Can Become SOE Employees, BP BUMN Provides Explanation
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The State-Owned Enterprises Regulatory Agency (BP BUMN) has addressed the status of managers of the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives and Merah Putih Fishermen Villages, who will hold positions as SOE employees.
Deputy Head of BP BUMN, Tedi Bharata, stated that this status will last for two years under a Fixed-Term Employment Contract (PKWT) scheme.
According to him, during these two years of work, they will gain insights related to several SOE companies.
“This is the cooperative manager, right? So, they will be employees (SOE staff). But during these two years, the selected individuals will receive plenty of exposure,” he said when met at Wisma Danantara in Jakarta on Friday (17/4/2026).
He explained that over the two years, the Village Cooperative Managers will work under a red-plate company, namely Agrinas. Those with leadership spirit will then be selected based on the knowledge they acquire.
“Agrinas provides training and assistance. So, in the future, they can develop this cooperative. This is just the initial stage,” he said.
In the initial stage, Village Cooperative Managers will be required to demonstrate high-quality performance. “If their performance is lacking, I’m sorry, but it seems they won’t be able to continue. They are employees, but they need a high level of entrepreneurship,” he added.
“And during these two years, they will be trained with lots of experience, exposure, and interactions with many parties. I think that’s very valuable experience for them,” he concluded.
For information, the government is opening tens of thousands of job vacancies to manage the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives and Merah Putih Fishermen Villages. The government even promises benefits for applicants to obtain status as State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) employees.
Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs, Zulkifli Hasan, said the government wants the management of Merah Putih Village or Subdistrict Cooperatives and Merah Putih Fishermen Villages to be handled by quality human resources (HR).
“The government, through the National Selection Committee for PHTC HR, will open recruitment for Indonesia’s best sons and daughters to participate in managing the Merah Putih Village or Subdistrict Cooperatives and Merah Putih Fishermen Villages,” Zulkifli said in a statement from the Government Communication Agency (Bakom RI) on Thursday (16/4).
The recruitment is conducted through the National Selection Committee (Panselnas) for 35,476 applicants. Those who pass the selection will become SOE employees under a Fixed-Term Employment Contract (PKWT) for two years in line with the programme scheme for strengthening operations.
He detailed that the 35,476 positions consist of 30,000 vacancies for cooperative manager positions, which will be under PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara. Meanwhile, the remaining 5,476 vacancies are open for fishermen village staff positions with employment status under PT Agrinas Jaladri Nusantara.
In the recruitment process, the government will conduct an open selection. Registration has been open since 15 April until 24 April 2026 via the website phtc.panselnas.go.id.
This recruitment is open to D3, D4, and S1 graduates from all majors, with a minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.75 and a maximum age of 35 years. He emphasised that there will be no fees charged to applicants in this selection process.
“In addition, we emphasise that all stages of this selection will not incur any fees,” Zulkifli continued.
Registration can only be done through the official website, ensuring the selection process will be fair. Zulkifli also urged prospective applicants to beware of various forms of scams promising passing without going through the official selection process.
“No party can guarantee passing. If there is a party asking for compensation and promising to pass, that means it’s a scam and a lie,” Zulkifli stressed.
The government may open the next recruitment phase, in line with the target of building 80,000 cooperatives across Indonesia.