Menkop Invites Gen Z To Play A Role In Bringing The Red And White Kopdes More Modern

JAKARTA - Minister of Cooperatives (Menkop) Ferry Juliantono, the future of Indonesian cooperatives is in the hands of Gen z. According to him, Gen Z's energy, creativity, and courage will determine the direction of the development of cooperatives in the future, especially with the presence of the Red and White Village Cooperatives.

"Through digital marketing capabilities, online business connections to product and service innovations, Gen Z can bring the Red and White Village/Sub-District Cooperative to jump faster and more modern," said Ferry, Monday, November 24.

Ferry said that more than 80,000 Red and White Village/Kelurahan Cooperatives would create a new and strong economic ecosystem in Indonesia. Cooperatives that have been considered small and underestimated so far will become a large economic force and become a growth engine in Indonesia.

He also conveyed that cooperatives are a constitutional mandate and in accordance with the character of the Indonesian people. However, in almost 30 years, the economy of the people in the village has been increasingly eliminated by tengkulak, moneylenders, and pinjol.

Many villages still lack electricity, internet, medicine, and the price of goods that are more expensive than the city. Therefore, President Prabowo emphasized that economic development must start from below, from the village.

Through the Red and White Villages Cooperative, the government wants to turn rural communities into economic subjects. Kopdes will channel the needs of residents, become offtakers of village products, accommodate crops and participate in distributing government assistance.

This ecosystem is expected to create millions of jobs, especially for young people who determine the future of cooperatives.

Ferry also stated that a large number of businesses in the world are actually managed by cooperatives, such as FC Barcelona and Rabobank. This shows that cooperatives can become a big economic force. With a plan of more than 80,000 Kopdes/Kel Merah Putih, which focuses on moving domestic products, Indonesian cooperatives can also grow equivalent to large industries.

Therefore, the Coordinating Minister said, the President ordered cooperatives to quickly catch up with BUMN and the private sector. Cooperatives must be the same as SOEs and the private sector; cooperatives must have a stake in development.

The Coordinating Minister said that with the formation of the Red and White Kopdes, which has totaled more than 82,000 cooperatives, it will create a very extraordinary added value. From the membership of cooperatives, currently 29 million cooperative members will have a significant increase. If each member of the Kopdes/Gel Merah Putih amounts to 1000 people, there will be at least 80 million participation of members of the community.

"Not to mention there will be 80,000 basic food outlets, which are managed by modern retail owned by cooperatives. There will be 80,000 micro financial institutions in villages and sub-districts, there are 80,000 village clinics equipped with medical personnel, 80,000 warehouses. There are 80,0000 vehicle trucks that facilitate the distribution of village-owned goods," continued Ferry.

Therefore, Ferry encourages cooperatives and campuses to enter the production sector by taking on the role of producers to produce products that have been produced by industry. These products can be sold through outlets at Kopdes/Kel Merah Putih.

"We are ready to collaborate with campuses and regions, including UNAIR to build a stronger and fairer future for the people's economy," said Ferry.