Groundbreaking of Kopdes Merah Putih, Minister of Villages talks about employment in villages

Jakarta – Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDT) Yandri Susanto, together with Deputy Commander of the TNI General Tandyo Budi Revia, carried out a groundbreaking for the construction of the Red and White Village/Subdistrict Cooperative in Wanajaya Village, Cibitung District, Bekasi Regency, West Java. Minister of Villages Yandri said that the establishment of the Red and White Kopdes is considered very important and that the benefits are very significant in strengthening local economic resilience and the welfare of village communities. “Let’s welcome this ground breaking or lay the first stone, God willing, today we build eight hundred. And God willing, it will reverberate throughout the country,” says Yandri, in his statement, Friday (17/10/2025). Scroll to continue content Yandri hopes that all agencies, both government and private, will carry out solidarity and harmonization of institutions or cooperatives, especially for village environments, so that they can be efficient and successful, and play a role in accordance with the ideals and hopes of their members. He assessed that cooperatives have proven to be institutions capable of creating sustainable economic and social impacts. Yandri said he has given legal entity certificates to thousands of villages that the Red and White Kopdes have officially established. “That’s why we ask all elements of the village, from the village I mentioned earlier. From the village I mentioned earlier, BPD, RT/RW, the whole community, there should be no more disputes, no more disagreements,” he explained. “From the beginning, the Ministry of Villages was involved in its establishment in seventy-five thousand villages. Through special village meetings. And thank God, all of them became legal entities,” Yandri added. He also emphasized that one of the main benefits of cooperatives is the creation of jobs in villages. Through various business units such as agriculture, trade and services, cooperatives open up employment opportunities for local residents. Apart from that, village cooperatives also play a role in more equal distribution of income, thereby reducing inequalities between community groups. “There must be no more division between us. We must make our national strategic program a success. We must ensure that the red and white village cooperatives will deliver a developed and sovereign country,” said Mendes Yandri. Also present at the groundbreaking were Minister of Cooperatives Ferry Juliantono, Head of the National Food Agency, Dadan Hindayana, Deputy Minister of Social Affairs, Agus Jabo Priyono, Deputy Minister of Cooperatives Farida Farichah, Deputy Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Didit Herdiawan, Chief Director of Agriantaras Soupano, Angelasa Sougano. Mota, and Deputy Regent of Bekasi, Asep Surya Atmaja. (idn/dhn)