Jakarta, May 14 -- The Ministry of Cooperatives and the Law Ministry teamed up to ensure that the 80 thousand business entities planned under the Red and White Village Cooperatives program can obtain legal status with ease.

The cooperation was formalized with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Jakarta on Wednesday, according to a statement issued by the Cooperatives Ministry.

"With this MoU, I am optimistic and convinced that the government will be able to speed up the legalization of 80 thousand Red and White Village Cooperatives," Cooperatives Minister Budi Arie Setiadi said after signing the agreement.

He also expressed confidence that the collaboration would reassure the public of the accountability, transparency...