Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Communication and Informatics Budi Arie Setiadi and the general chair of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Anwar Iskandar, discussed a strengthening collaboration to counter the growth of online gambling.The minister said that the collaboration demonstrates growing support for the government to eradicate the illegal practice.
"The support from MUI encourages the government, especially the online gambling task force, to work hard to save the country from the very bad impacts of online gambling," said the minister at his office here on Thursday.
Iskandar, meanwhile, emphasized that eradicating online gambling is vital to save the nation from social issues. He highlighted that support for the government for eradicating online gambling has not only come from the MUI, but also from other Islamic community organizations in Indonesia.
"MUI, together with more than 87 Islamic mass organizations in Indonesia, agree and will support the minister in his commitment to save our nation from the dangers of online gambling," he added.
He said he looks forward to the formulation of more concrete steps to tackle online gambling through the collaboration between the two institutions. He also proposed some measures to eradicate online gambling, including through educational institutions, both formal and non-formal.
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"We have millions of students in Indonesia. We have millions of members in Indonesia who are involved in formal and non-formal education. There are also religious study groups," Iskandar said.
"We hope that all of that can be a means to educate the public about the dangers of online gambling," he added.