November 18, 2025 | 07:51 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Social Affairs has reactivated social aid for 7,200 beneficiaries who were previously removed from the program due to their involvement in online gambling. Minister of Social Affairs, Saifullah Yusuf, asserts that these individuals deserve a second chance.
He stated that these individuals are in desperate need and thus require assistance. "The issue is really crucial. If they don't need it, we wouldn't consider it," said Gus Ipul (the minister's nickname), speaking from the Ministry of Social Affairs office on Tuesday afternoon, November 18, 2025.
Gus Ipul elaborated that 600,000 people were initially removed from the list of social aid recipients after the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) flagged and blocked their accounts for involvement in online gambling. Out of the 200,000 beneficiaries who reapplied for reactivation, only 7,500 were deemed eligible for the aid.
The remaining applicants are still undergoing a verification process. Gus Ipul claimed that the Ministry of Social Affairs implemented a strict selection process to grant a second chance to former beneficiaries involved in online gambling.
He mentioned that the final decision regarding eligibility would be made soon after the completion of a comprehensive evaluation. "We are currently evaluating and will soon determine whether they will be eligible to receive the aid again," he confirmed.
The Minister of Social Affairs guaranteed that each reactivated social aid recipient would be subject to multiple layers of supervision. The government will mobilize the Social Office and village facilitators to directly monitor the use of the aid funds.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Social Affairs would collaborate with the PPATK to conduct a re-audit of their accounts over the next six months.
Gus Ipul emphasized that this second chance represents their final opportunity to receive social aid. He warned that if they were detected gambling again, their names would be permanently removed from the list of social aid recipients. "We will no longer provide aid for beneficiaries like that," he stressed.
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