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Meutya Hafid vows to purge communications ministry of online gambling
At least a dozen of the communications ministry’s employees were arrested for allegedly enabling online gambling operations. These employees allegedly pocketed a piece of the profit, earning up to Rp 8.5 million ($US539.43) from each site.
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Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid (center) is accompanied by deputy ministers Nezar Patria (left) and Angga Raka Prabowo (right) on Nov. 5, 2024, during a working meeting with House of Representatives' Commission I overseeing communications and information at the House of Representatives building in Senayan, Central Jakarta. The meeting focused on the ministry's 100-day working plan, including fighting online gambling and preparation for concurrent regional elections on Nov. 27. (Antara/Dhemas Reviyanto)
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mid the government’s clampdown on online gambling, the Communications and Digital Ministry vowed to do a thorough audit of its human resources following the arrest of several employees, which has raised further questions on how far up the ladder illegal activity has been fostered.
In the ministry’s first meeting with House Commission I overseeing communications and information on Tuesday, Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid highlighted eradicating online gambling as one of the ministry’s important short-term work programs, noting the need to tackle the problem at its root.
The Golkar Party politician said that eliminating online gambling “could be done not only through blocking the sites,” but also through audits of the ministry’s system overseeing online gambling, including its human resources.
“We have been implementing an audit on our human resources, but because of the ongoing police investigation, we might need to be careful and hold it off first as our entire system is still the object of their investigation,” she said at the House of Representatives in Central Jakarta.
Meutya’s plan came on the heels of at least a dozen of the communications ministry’s employees being arrested by the Jakarta Police and the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) because of their alleged involvement in fostering 1,000 online gambling sites they were supposed to block.
These employees allegedly pocketed a piece of the profit, earning up to Rp 8.5 million ($US539.43) from each site.
Meutya also said the ministry had suspended these employees and would dishonorably fire them when they were officially found guilty of their charges.
