Indonesia’s National Commission on Human Rights has urged the government to halt the basic military training required for prospective managers of the country’s village co-operative programme, following the deaths of five participants early in the training course. The fatalities occurred just 10 days after the training began on June 14, raising concerns about the safety and appropriateness of the programme.

The training forms part of President Prabowo Subianto’s “Red and White Cooperatives” initiative, launched in July 2025. The ambitious programme aims to establish approximately 80,000 village co-operatives nationwide as a means of stimulating local economies, creating jobs, and achieving the government’s goal of 8 percent economic growth by 2029. These co-operatives are intended to supply basic goods, subsidised cooking gas, and fertiliser to rural communities.

Nearly 35,000 prospective co-operative managers are expected to undergo the 45-day military-style training, which is being conducted across various regional centres and is scheduled to conclude on July 31. However, the National Commission on Human Rights has expressed serious reservations about this requirement. Pramono Ubaid Tantowi, an official with the commission, stated that co-operatives are fundamentally economic entities focused on business management, and therefore should not be linked with military training.

The commission’s recommendation to end the basic military preparation highlights concerns about the alignment of training methods with the programme’s economic and community development goals. Authorities have yet to respond publicly to the commission’s call or provide details on measures being taken following the training-related fatalities. The government faces increasing scrutiny as it balances efforts to boost rural economic growth with the safety and suitability of its training programmes.