President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s commitment to the fight against drugs is part of his responsibility to protect the nation. Last year he repeatedly warned of “a drug emergency”, saying 50 people died in relation to drug use every day and 4.5 million people were addicted, giving justification to execute drug convicts.
At the opening of a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the president said he wanted “more intensive, braver, crazier and more comprehensive integrated efforts to eradicate drugs”. During the meeting, which came on the heels of a series of raids that led to the arrest of military and police personnel and, reportedly, a House of Representatives lawmaker, Jokowi declared a war on drugs.
Whether the braver and crazier measures will include another round of executions of drug convicts remains to be seen. But the way the government and law enforcers have combatted drugs so far has not shifted from the textbook: Raids are conducted here and there, most of the time with much fanfare, dozens are arrested and it is business as usual again until the next cycle of raids.
Worse, law enforcement against drug crimes is limited to small fry and is unable to catch the big fish, who use their money or influence to evade justice. Indeed the drug business is so secretive that law enforcers may find it difficult to capture the kingpins, but after so many raids and tons of drugs have been discovered, the public has yet to hear of any drug ring leader being arrested and prosecuted.
Challenges facing drug eradication also include impunity or at least light punishments. Many would remember an Army officer, a general’s son, who was found guilty of drug abuse more than 15 years ago but had his prison sentence reduced and his dismissal from the military revoked. He has won promotions since then.
Abuse of power is another cause for concern, especially in the antidrug campaign. This ranges from reports of people without any history of drug use being caught up in drug checks and forced to pay huge sums of money for their release, as well as law enforcers who act as drug dealers or protect drug rings.
Now that the president has called for integrated action to win the war on drugs, the National Narcotics Agency needs to draw up a clear strategy and set concrete targets. The agency must have identified hotspots where drugs are trafficked and circulated, as well as the people who are involved in the drug supply chain.
Tightening supervision of prisons, which the president believes are centres of drug trafficking, is mandatory. Random checks are a must – every day if possible, rather than every month as suggested by the president – given the scale of drug abuse facing the country.
The magnitude of the national campaign against drugs may require a powerful agency like the US Drug Enforcement Administration. A debate over this possibility should start sooner rather than later, simply because the war on drugs has already begun. – The Jakarta Post, February 26, 2016.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.
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