Indonesia pushes cooperative sector toward digital transformation and revival

On Indonesia's 79th National Cooperative Day, local and national leaders called for a major upgrade of the cooperative movement. In Jembrana, regent I Made Kembang Hartawan addressed hundreds of cooperative members, urging them to adopt digital tools, improve online transaction capabilities and upgrade staff skills. He highlighted the shift of consumers to mobile applications and stressed that cooperatives must modernise to remain competitive, citing government assistance that has improved incomes and operational sustainability for many local cooperatives.

At the same time, President Prabowo Subianto spoke at the DEKOPIN summit in Jakarta, declaring a national resurgence of cooperatives as a pillar of Indonesia's economy. He framed cooperatives as a collective force for the weak, comparable to a broom made of many sticks, and pointed to successful cooperative models abroad, such as major European football clubs and banks. Both speakers linked the sector’s revitalisation to the constitutional principle of communal economic development and pledged continued policy support.