Government Takes Firm Action Against Village Heads Who Use Village Funds for Online Gambling
Jakarta – The government has confirmed that it will impose strict sanctions on village heads (kades) who are proven to be playing online gambling using village funds. The Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration (Mendes PDTT) Yandri Susanto stated that this practice cannot be tolerated because it is detrimental to village communities.
“Last year and even before, there were many findings related to the misuse of village funds for online gambling. This is a strong warning to all village heads not to be tempted to play online gambling with a budget that should be used for village development,” said Yandri
According to Yandri, online gambling has become a serious threat to state and community finances. In addition to damaging the family economy, this practice also creates dependency that has a negative impact on morals and social welfare. Therefore, the government will work together with law enforcement officers to monitor and take firm action against village heads involved in online gambling.
“We, together with law enforcement officers, such as the National Police Headquarters, the Attorney General, and the Corruption Eradication Committee, will intervene if there are village heads who play online gambling. This is not just an administrative violation, but also a crime that must be stopped so that it does not further harm the community,” he said.
In an effort to strengthen supervision, Yandri has established coordination with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the Attorney General’s Office. Over the past two days, he visited both institutions to ensure that there is strict legal action against online gambling perpetrators from among village officials.
In a meeting with Attorney General ST Burhanuddin, Yandri also emphasized that online gambling is increasingly rampant among village heads and is one of the causes of budget misuse. Therefore, cooperation with law enforcement is needed to prevent more similar cases.
“We want to ensure that village heads understand the consequences of playing online gambling with public money. Not only will they be dismissed from their positions, they will also face legal charges according to applicable regulations,” he explained.
The government hopes that with this strict action, the practice of online gambling among village heads can be stopped. With stricter steps and collaboration with law enforcement officers, village heads who dare to play online gambling will be immediately prosecuted in order to maintain public trust in the use of the state budget. []
