PORTALJABAR, KARAWANG REGENCY - West Java Province declared a movement to reject illegal online gambling (judol) and online loans (pinjol). The declaration took place in Karawang, Thursday (11/14/2024).

The declaration to re-strengthen the commitment to reject illegal judol and pinjol was signed by the Acting Governor of West Java Bey Machmudin and 27 regional heads in West Java. Also present at the declaration were the Head of the West Java OJK, the Chairperson of Commission I of the West Java DPRD, and representatives from the Pangdam III Siliwangi, Pangdam Jaya, the West Java Police Chief and the Metro Jaya Police Chief.

Bey said that the parties involved in the declaration had agreed to reduce the number of illegal judol and pinjol users in their respective regions.

"There was a joint signing on rejecting illegal online loans and online gambling. So we agreed to reject that throughout West Java," he said.

Currently, the total loan debt of West Java residents has reached Rp18.6 trillion with the number of active loan recipient accounts exceeding 5 million. Bey said that the large number was partly due to the lack of financial literacy in the community.

"Financial literacy for the community must continue to be strengthened because that is one of the reasons they get caught in illegal online loans," he said.

According to Bey, the key to suppressing the rampant use of illegal online loans is to facilitate bank credit. His party has asked banks to facilitate credit schemes, especially for small communities and MSMEs.

"Bank credit must be easy and fast, that's the key. The Regional Secretary has spoken to banks so that the scheme doesn't take too long because people want the process to be fast and easy," said Bey.

Bey hopes that people will no longer access illegal online loans or online loans because it will harm them.

In addition to the movement to reject illegal judol and pinjol, on this occasion the ASN's commitment to neutrality in the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Elections was also declared.