Given the rapid influx of illegal goods, the country is losing income that could be used to improve the welfare of the people, he highlighted.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs, Budi Gunawan, has said that he will prioritize the handling of two major problems during his term — the smuggling of illegal goods and online gambling.

"President Prabowo Subianto has asked us to prioritize smuggling cases. Many leaks have occurred, and we need to solve it," he informed in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Gunawan said that the smuggling of illegal goods leads to lower income from taxes that would otherwise be imposed on the goods.

Given the rapid influx of illegal goods, the country is losing income that could be used to improve the welfare of the people, he highlighted.

"This must be handled properly so that all foreign exchange can be used to build our country to become more advanced and prosperous," he emphasized.

Besides illegal goods smuggling, Gunawan will also pursue online gambling eradication, like his predecessor, former coordinating minister for political, legal, and security affairs, Hadi Tjahjanto, with the help of the online gambling task force.

Gunawan said that online gambling practices have eroded the economy of the community, with many people sliding into poverty. The condition has been further exacerbated by the community getting trapped in online loans.

However, he did not provide details on the concrete steps that would be taken to curb online gambling. He informed that his ministry will coordinate with related institutions to handle online gambling practices.

"We will align it later with related ministries and institutions as the forefront of law enforcement," he stated.

As of August 30, 2024, the Financial Services Authority (OJK) has blocked up to eight thousand bank accounts suspected to be linked to online gambling transactions, according to the OJK's chief executive of banking supervision, Dian Ediana Rae.

His party has also appealed to banks to examine customer accounts suspected of being used for holding online gambling funds.

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Translator: Walda Marison, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Arie Novarina
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