Jakarta, July 21 -- President Prabowo Subianto has said that acting in unison, cooperatives can be powerful tools for empowering the weak and developing the nation, like the proverbial bundle of twigs that is stronger than a single, separate twig.

"A single twig is weak and meaningless. But when tens, hundreds of twigs are bound together, they become a tool that can support us," he said at the launch of 80 thousand Red and White Village Cooperatives ( Kopdes/Kopkel Merah Putih ) in Bentangan village, Wonosari district, Klaten, Central Java, on Monday.

"From weakness comes strength. That is the essence of cooperatives," he added.

He emphasized that cooperatives are rooted in a mutual cooperation model that has a long history. However, c...