His statement about online gambling victims receiving social assistance became a polemic, Muhadjir gave an explanation

JAKARTA – The statement by the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy who said that online gambling victims were proposed to be included in the list of recipients of social assistance (bansos) became a polemic. Muhadjir also gave an explanation.

Muhadjir said that the victims of online gambling were not the perpetrators, but the families affected by online gambling. “I understand that from public opinion, there are some people who think that the victims of online gambling are the perpetrators,” he said to the media crew, quoted on Tuesday (18/6/2024).

“The perpetrators in this case were players and those who made the victims were the bookies, then it was followed up again when I said that in the future some of the victims of online gambling will be able to get social assistance. They consider them to be the gamblers who will get help. “So it was misleading, that’s not it,” explained Muhadjir.

Muhadjir also explained again that in the Criminal Code (KUHP) Article 303 and the ITE Law Number 11 of 2008 Article 27 that gambling is a criminal act. “Therefore, the perpetrators, whether players or dealers, are law violators and must be prosecuted.”

Muhadjir said that currently the government has formed an Online Gambling Eradication Task Force which will be led by the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Hadi Tjahjanto. Then, Muhadjir will become his deputy.

“Later, the Task Force, I imagine the Judol crackdown task force will consist of three divisions or 3 tasks. First, prevention. “I think the important thing is that the prevention task will be led by the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs and the Minister of Communication and Information, perhaps supplemented by BIN, then the cyber police to delete and block all judol sites,” said Muhadjir.

“Actually, if it could be successfully eradicated, it would be finished. But that’s a small possibility. That’s why there needs to be an enforcement task force. That will be led by the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, I think the National Police will of course assist him. “And the dealers and also the perpetrators, these players, are being hunted,” he added.

Muhadjir said that after the action there would be rehabilitation which was the task of the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, the Minister of Social Affairs, the Minister of Health and the Minister of PPA. “So my task is actually the last task. “We’ll wait and see how it will be prevented, what the results of the action will be, who will be the victims of the action, that will be my business,” he said.

He revealed that online gambling transactions in Indonesia reached IDR 600 trillion. In fact, currently 5 thousand bank accounts have been blocked for indications of online gambling. Muhadjir said the data was the result of reports from the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK).

(rca)