Puan: As A Pillar Of The Economy, Cooperatives Must Be Adaptive To The Times

DPR Chair Puan Maharani (Photo: Special)

JAKARTA - Chairperson of the House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, hopes that Cooperatives can continue to develop as a driver of the Indonesian economy. In commemoration of Cooperative Day which falls every July 12, Puan encourages cooperatives to always be adaptive to the times.

“Cooperatives by the founders of our nation were designed as pillars of the national economy. I hope that Indonesian Cooperatives will not be left behind in the progress of the times," said Puan.

This was conveyed during the highlight of the 75th Cooperative Day event organized by the Indonesian Cooperative Council in Denpasar, Bali, Thursday 14 July. Madam is present virtually.

"Cooperatives are a joint effort to realize shared prosperity. Cooperatives grew from a national movement according to a joint effort based on the principle of kinship. It grew on honesty, volunteerism, mutual assistance, and mutual cooperation," said the former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture. "Cooperatives educate us to believe in our own strength, the power to forge a weak people's economy into a strong one," added Puan.

Commemoration of National Cooperative Day 2022 with the theme 'Transformation of Cooperatives for a Sustainable Economy'. Therefore, according to Puan, efforts are needed to make cooperatives always relevant to the challenges of the latest era, considering that the current economy is developing so fast and its forms are increasingly complex.

"In the past, many economic developments were based on natural resources. Then we saw the rapid development of the digital economy such as various start-ups which became new pockets of growth," he said. "Then even now the digital economy is also undergoing adjustments and the world seems to be waiting for what the next form of economy will be," added Puan.

The former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture assessed that Cooperatives must be the locomotive of the nation's economic progress so that they do not miss the progress of the times. Moreover, said Puan, the number of cooperatives in Indonesia always increases every year with the total number as of 2021 reaching 127,846 (BPS data). "Indonesian cooperatives must be able to adapt quickly, be agile, creative, innovative, and not afraid to compete with other economic actors," said the grandson of the proclaimer of Indonesia, Bung Karno.

On the commemoration of National Cooperatives Day 2022, Puan invites cooperatives in Indonesia to always remember their identity as a form of mutual cooperation economy. According to him, all cooperatives in Indonesia must help each other so that they can move forward together.

"With the tagline 'Let's Cooperate Movement in Support of the Mental Revolution Program', all cooperatives in Indonesia must work together, create networks, strengthen each other and build an ecosystem to develop together," said Puan. “Remember that in gotong royong, no one goes forward alone. In gotong royong, when one or two come forward, everything is brought forward, no one is left behind," he concluded.