Indonesian lawmaker: Cooperative training reform must be more than a name change

An Indonesian legislator is calling for substantive changes to a training program for cooperative managers, warning that simply altering its name is insufficient. Oleh Soleh, a member of Commission I of the House of Representatives, urged the Ministry of Defense to ensure the revamped program genuinely enhances participants' capabilities.

"This change should not just be a change of name. The program must truly be changed, both in terms of content, methods, and implementation," Oleh stated. He emphasized that the training should focus on management, leadership, organizational governance, and cooperative business development, rather than military-style drills. Oleh's call comes after a review prompted by the deaths of five participants during previous military basic training.

The Ministry of Defense has acknowledged the need for reform, announcing that the program will be renamed "National Defense and Managerial Training" instead of the previous "Latsarmil" (military basic training). Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait, Head of the Ministry's Information Bureau, explained that the new name aims to clarify the program's objectives: fostering character, discipline, leadership, teamwork, responsibility, and managerial readiness. This shift reflects an evaluation that the previous physical-heavy approach was not relevant to the roles of cooperative managers and had led to tragic outcomes.

Separately, another legislator, Rivqy Abdul Halim of Commission VI, proposed reducing the training duration from one month to 15 days. He suggested this shorter period would allow for a more focused approach on direct mentoring at successful cooperatives and internships with professional business practitioners. Rifqy pointed to successful cooperative models in Japan and the Netherlands, which he believes are built on strengthening human resources and business acumen rather than excessive physical training, advocating for Indonesia to adopt similar best practices for its cooperative development.