Muzani highlights education and cooperatives for the people

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Jakarta (ANTARA) – Chairman of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) of the Republic of Indonesia, Ahmad Muzani, said on Friday that the Sekolah Rakyat program reflected the government’s commitment to ensuring access to education for Indonesians, including those from underprivileged families.

The same commitment is reflected in the Sekolah Unggul Garuda (Garuda Excellence Schools) program, aimed at developing high-performing talent in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), Muzani said.

“Article 31 of the Constitution mandates that every citizen has the right to education,” Muzani said in his opening address at the 2026 Annual Session of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) and the Joint Session of the House of Representatives (DPR) and Regional Representatives Council (DPD) at Parliament Complex, Jakarta, on Friday.

As a step in the economic sector, says Muzani, the government has established Red and White Village Cooperatives.

He said the Constitution stipulates that Indonesia’s economy is to be organized as a joint effort based on the principle of kinship, meaning economic development should not be left solely to free-market competition, which could allow stronger parties to become increasingly dominant while pushing the vulnerable further to the margins.

Cooperatives can help bring economic democracy into practice, he said.

Well-managed and professionally run cooperatives can strengthen farmers’ bargaining power, improve fishermen’s access to markets, support the growth of micro-businesses, shorten supply chains for basic goods and allow communities to capture more economic value, he said.

“Cooperatives are not merely business entities. Cooperatives represent the spirit of moving forward together,” Muzani said.

Therefore, the success of cooperatives should be measured by the growth of productive economic activities, increased members’ incomes, stronger governance, and greater community self-reliance, he added.

The annual session is a state ceremony held ahead of Indonesia’s 81st Independence Day, under the theme “A Sovereign, Just, and Prosperous Indonesia.”