Indonesian Lawmaker Slams Budget for Military Drills in Cooperative Manager Training

A legislator has sharply criticized the substantial budget allocated for training prospective managers of the "Koperasi Desa Merah Putih" (KDMP), a village cooperative.

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From the 45-day training scheme, consisting of 30 days of military training and 15 days of cooperative substance learning, the largest portion of the budget is absorbed by military activities. Yet, these activities are not directly related to the task of managing a cooperative.

TB Hasanuddin, a member of Commission I of the House of Representatives, revealed that the 45-day training program, which includes basic military training (Latsarmil), costs around 45 million Indonesian rupiah per person. He pointed out that a disproportionate amount, approximately 30 million rupiah, is spent on military drills, while only 15 million rupiah is allocated to teaching cooperative management.

"From the 45-day training scheme, consisting of 30 days of military training and 15 days of cooperative substance learning, the largest portion of the budget is absorbed by military activities. Yet, these activities are not directly related to the task of managing a cooperative," Hasanuddin stated.

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Meaning, if military training is eliminated, the state can save around Rp30 million or about two-thirds of the total training cost for each participant.

He argued that removing the military training would be far more efficient, saving the state about 30 million rupiah per participant, which is two-thirds of the total cost. Hasanuddin estimated that if this scheme were applied to all 35,476 participants nationwide, the potential budget savings could reach trillions of rupiah. The total expenditure for all participants would be at least 1.596 trillion rupiah.

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The training material should be oriented towards professional competence, not physical or military training.

Hasanuddin emphasized that the primary role of a cooperative manager is to manage the organization and develop its business. "The training material should be oriented towards professional competence, not physical or military training," he urged. He noted that while the Ministry of Cooperatives funds KDMP manager training, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries supports similar training for "Kampung Nelayan Merah Putih" participants. Hasanuddin called for a thorough evaluation of the training design to ensure it is effective, efficient, and produces professional cooperative managers without excessively burdening the state budget.

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We need cooperative managers who have the ability to manage businesses, understand financial governance, marketing, and community empowerment. Therefore, training must be truly relevant to their job needs.