In a speech, livestreamed by his secretariat’s YouTube channel and monitored from Jakarta, the president emphasized that the government envisions these village cooperatives as tools to boost the national economy by raising people’s living standards across the country.
He stressed that operating in such large numbers would make the cooperatives effective in accelerating Indonesia’s economic development.
The president highlighted that these business entities embody the nation’s noble value of gotong royong (cooperation), as they are expected to consolidate smaller, weaker economic entities into stronger ones.
Prabowo also highlighted that the launch and operation of the 80 thousand cooperatives also aims to shorten the distribution chains of goods, ultimately making staple commodities more accessible and affordable to the public.
He expressed hope that the cooperatives would help meet the needs of farmers, ranchers, and fishermen, and called on all cooperative operators to do their utmost to make the national program a success.
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Several ministers attended the launch event, including Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan, Cooperatives Minister Budi Arie Setiadi, Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions Minister Yandri Susanto, and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.
Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) Commander General Agus Subiyanto, National Police (Polri) Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, and House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Puan Maharani were also present.
So far, the Red and White Village Cooperatives program has facilitated the creation of 81,140 cooperatives in rural areas across 514 districts and cities in 38 provinces. Of these, 80,081 have been registered as legal business entities.
Additionally, the government has designated 108 of these cooperatives as pilot models for the program's initial implementation phase, which is supported by 15 central government institutions in collaboration with local governments.
All village cooperatives are expected to offer a range of essential goods and services, such as basic necessities, medical treatment, pharmaceutical products, and savings and loan services.
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Translator: Fathur R, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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