JAYAPURA – The launch and dialogue on accelerating special village meetings (Musdesus) for establishing Merah Putih Village/Urban Cooperatives took place at the Papua Governor's Office on Monday (June 2), attended in person by the Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration, Yandri Susanto. 

Acting Governor of Papua, Ramses Limbong, stated that out of a total of 1,214 cooperatives in Papua, 730 are active (60.13%), while the remaining 484 (39.87%) are inactive. 

Ramses said the Papua Provincial Government is committed to revitalizing these cooperatives as part of the Merah Putih Village Cooperative initiative. 

"As of May 30, 2025, all of the 948 villages and 51 urban neighborhoods in Papua have received outreach. A total of 628 villages have conducted Musdesus, with 143 cooperatives already established and 24 more in the process of notarial registration," he explained. 

These cooperatives are spread across several regions: 33 in Yapen Islands Regency, 11 in Biak Numfor Regency, 9 in Jayapura Regency, and 6 in Jayapura City. 

Ramses also acknowledged various challenges such as limited access to villages, demographic dispersion, and the lack of cooperative human resources at the village level. To address these issues, the Papua Provincial Government will promote the formation of contextual cooperatives rooted in Papua's uniqueness, implement pilot projects, revitalize inactive cooperatives, and provide training and cooperative management assistance. 

“We are confident that excellent cooperatives based on local wisdom will grow, create jobs, and sustainably improve the welfare of the Papuan people,” he concluded. ***