Indonesian comms ministry to be restructured after arrests over alleged bribes from gaming operators

Meutya Hafid said the restructuring will focus on job rotations.

Indonesia.- Meutya Hafid, Indonesia’s communication and digitalisation minister, has announced a restructuring within the ministry following the arrest of ten officials accused of accepting bribes from online gambling operators. According to Jakarta Globe, the reorganisation will concentrate on job rotations and placing staff in positions that suit their skills and expertise.  

Hafid, who has been in her position for only three weeks, highlighted the importance of collaboration with other government bodies, including the Financial Services Authority (OJK) and the anti-money laundering agency (PPATK), to improve oversight.

Muhaimin Iskandar calls for an online gambling complaint centre

Muhaimin Iskandar, Indonesia’s chief human development and cultural affairs minister, has called on the ministry of social affairs to establish a dedicated centre for handling public complaints about online gambling addiction. In a statement released on Tuesday (November 19), Iskandar highlighted the need for accessible channels for people to report gambling issues and seek assistance.

Iskandar said social media plays a significant role in contributing to gambling harm and that the existing strategies for monitoring and regulating social media platforms were inadequate.

The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs reported that between October 20 and November 13, it blocked 283,230 instances of online gambling content. The Online Gambling Task Force has estimated that Indonesia has 4 million online gamblers, with 40 of them aged between 31 and 50 and 80,000 under the age of 10. The majority are from economically disadvantaged groups, frequently spending as little as Rp 10,000 (less than US$1) per session.

See also: Indonesia police chief vows action against officers implicated in online gambling

Meutya Hafid said the restructuring will focus on job rotations. Indonesia.- Meutya Hafid, Indonesia’s communication and digitalisation minister, has announced a restructuring within the ministry following the arrest of ten…