President Prabowo Subianto is scheduled to inaugurate the Koperasi Desa/Kelurahan Merah Putih (Village/Urban Cooperative “Merah Putih”) on Monday, July 21, 2025. This initiative is part of the President’s Asta Cita (Visionary Aspiration) to revitalize local economies and address poverty at the village level. The program is one of the three core strategies under President Prabowo’s administration known as the “trident of poverty eradication.”
Hasan Nasbi, Head of Presidential Communications, explained that the trident consists of health, education, and socio-economic development. Each element is represented by a specific government program aimed at delivering tangible welfare improvements rather than symbolic gestures. The Kopdes Merah Putih program, launched through Presidential Instruction No. 9 of 2025, focuses on accelerating the establishment of village/urban cooperatives to reduce inequality and empower communities economically.
With 80,000 Kopdes Merah Putih institutions set to be launched, the initiative aims to strengthen rural economies, improve food security, and ultimately reduce poverty. By adopting an inclusive, modern, and community-driven approach, the cooperatives seek to eliminate illegal lending activities, predatory lenders, and exploitative middlemen in rural areas. The program also aims to support farmers by purchasing agricultural products directly, cutting out intermediaries to lower prices for consumers.
The development of Kopdes Merah Putih will involve establishing new cooperatives, expanding existing ones, and revitalizing underperforming cooperatives. These efforts will include setting up cooperative offices, basic food outlets, savings and loan units, rural clinics and pharmacies, cold storage facilities, and logistics distribution hubs to improve access to essential goods, healthcare services, and efficient logistics operations in rural communities.
