SERANG – The Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDT), Yandri Susanto, has invited the Central Executive Board of the All-Indonesian Village Government Association (DPP APDESI) Merah Putih to actively oversee the programs of President Prabowo Subianto.

To achieve this, he urged village heads during the DPP APDESI Merah Putih National Working Meeting (Rakernas) to use the event as momentum to ensure all of President Prabowo Subianto’s priority programs are rigorously supervised.

"For instance, the Merah Putih Village Cooperative (Kopdes), the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program, and public schools (sekolah rakyat). From the Ministry's side, we also have thematic village, export village, and tourism village initiatives, alongside food security village youth pioneers. All of these programs reside directly within the villages," Minister Yandri stated during the APDESI Merah Putih Rakernas at Aston Serang on Wednesday night (June 10, 2026).

Consequently, he hopes the Rakernas can harmonize the central government with village administrations through a dedicated work ethic, ensuring the successful realization of President Prabowo Subianto's 6th Asta Cita (Aspiration).

According to the Minister, the 6th Asta Cita—which focuses on building from the village and from the bottom-up for economic equality and poverty eradication—presents a new era under President Prabowo Subianto that transforms villages into the primary subjects of Indonesia's national development.

"In the past, villages were merely the objects of development; now, they are the subjects. Therefore, the Ministry stands ready to accept recommendations yielded by this APDESI Merah Putih Rakernas," Minister Yandri remarked.

"Those in attendance tonight are exceptional individuals—village heads. A village head is someone whose words are listened to, whose behavior is emulated, and whose directions are followed. Thus, we appeal to all village heads to safeguard the President's programs. At the Ministry of Villages, our core focus is the 6th Asta Cita, building from the villages," he added.

Minister Yandri further explained that there are many ways for village heads to translate the 6th Asta Cita into action. For example, they can closely supervise the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives, as the assets will ultimately belong to the village. Furthermore, 20 percent of the cooperative's profits will be channeled into village-derived revenue (PADesa), while the remaining 80 percent will return directly to the rural community.

"This is exactly why it must be closely supervised. As a brand-new initiative, it is still a work in progress, and the assignment of responsibilities has been mandated by a Presidential Instruction (Inpres). We hope village heads can fully grasp and understand these policies, as their ultimate goal is the welfare and happiness of rural citizens," Minister Yandri concluded.

Photo: Angga/Kemendes PDT 
Text: Rifqi/Kemendes PDT