The Speaker Of The House Of Representatives Asks To Complete The Report Of 571 Thousand Social Assistance Recipients Indicated For Judol

DPR Speaker Puan Maharani/ANTARA/HO-DPR)

JAKARTA - DPR Speaker Puan Maharani asked the government to immediately conduct a thorough search and validation of the data on hundreds of recipients of social assistance (bansos) who are said to be involved in online gambling transactions.

This was said by Puan in response to the PPATK report which found more than 571 thousand social assistance recipients indicated playing online gambling with a transaction value of Rp. 957 billion.

"These findings must be followed up carefully and thoroughly investigated. Data validation is very important so that vulnerable people who should be protected do not become victims twice. The data is misused, then social assistance is stopped," said Puan, Wednesday, July 9.

Puan also emphasized that PPATK data must be used as an initial basis for verification, not directly used to make decisions on social assistance cuts.

"In judol cases, many modes involve account buying and selling and misappropriation of identity, including the NIK of beneficiaries. It could be that there are recipients of social assistance who are really involved. But there could also be those who do not know and the data is misused. The government must trace this thoroughly and fairly," said Puan.

"If other people can use NIK for online gambling transactions, it means that our data protection system is still lacking. This must be addressed. Personal data protection is part of protecting citizens' rights," he said.

Puan also highlighted the importance of evaluating the mechanism for distributing social assistance, including the accuracy of those who are entitled to receive it. He also asked the government as the provider of social assistance to ensure community population data.

"The social assistance is for those who really need it. If it is even used for illegal practices, especially online gambling, it clearly deviates from its main goal. So the verification process really has to be tight to be right on target," explained Puan.

"On the other hand, the government together with relevant stakeholders must also ensure that law enforcement is enforced if data on social assistance recipients is misused so as not to harm people who do not know anything," continued the PDIP legislator.

Puan also asked the government through the relevant ministries and law enforcers not only to stop blocking the site, but also to dismantle its transaction network, including financial lines, fake accounts, and perpetrators of buying and selling data.

"It's time for online gambling to be handled not only on the surface. This is not just a matter of morals, but also concerns household economic security, threats to personal data, and the breakdown of social order. The government must work across sectors to really eradicate online gambling," he concluded.

Minister of Social Affairs (Mensos) Saifullah Yusuf alias Gus Ipul said that around 571 thousand recipients of social assistance (bansos) were suspected of playing judol with the transaction value of hundreds of billions. This data was found when the Ministry of Social Affairs juxtaposed data with the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK).

The Ministry of Social Affairs matches the 28.4 million population identification numbers (NIK) for social assistance recipients with data of 9.7 million judol players belonging to PPATK. The recipient of the social assistance is suspected of being involved in 7.5 million transactions related to judol with a transaction figure reaching Rp 957 billion.

Even so, the Ministry of Social Affairs has not been able to confirm whether the 571 thousand people really play judol consciously. The Ministry of Social Affairs will still investigate further with PPATK.