Governance Values of Koperasi Desa Merah Putih: Reconstructing Tan Malaka’s Thought

Abstract

This article reconstructs the governance values of Koperasi Desa/Kelurahan Merah Putih through Tan Malaka’s economic thought, particularly the cooperative ideas articulated in GERPOLEK. Using qualitative document analysis and conceptual reconstruction, the study compares Tan Malaka’s ideas on production, distribution, collective capital, organization, education, leadership, mutual cooperation, and people’s welfare with the contemporary institutional orientation of village cooperatives. The analysis identifies nine interrelated values: economic sovereignty, production orientation, community control over distribution, collective financing, organizational discipline, member education, integrity-based leadership, solidarity, and welfare orientation. These values indicate that village cooperatives should not be reduced to administrative units or retail intermediaries. They should operate as member-controlled productive institutions integrating local resources, markets, financing, learning, and accountability. The reconstructed framework links Indonesian political-economic thought with contemporary cooperative governance and provides a normative basis for strengthening institutional autonomy, substantive participation, and sustainable village economic development.