In 1983, Malaysia declared war on drugs. And yet, after 34 years of countless crackdowns, arrests and prosecutions, drugs remain an issue unresolved, simply because the supply chain is still there.
Nothing seems to deter dealers, traffickers, addicts and syndicates from getting “high” from the lucrative drugs industry, including the mandatory death sentence of Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. Probably, this could be due to the lack of fear in moving and transporting drugs, no thanks to “easy traffic flow”.
Stories of Malaysians falling victims to drugs are so common that one can assume that the millions or billions of ringgit spent on the war against drugs have gone down the drain, literally.
According to statistics from Network of Alcohol and Drug Agencies’s (Nada) National Drug Information System reported by the media, between January 2010 and February 2016, there were some 131,841 registered drug addicts recorded here.
Of the number, 127,797 were male.
During that period, about three quarters, or 93,044 drug addicts, were aged between 20 and 39, the most productive age in any nation and family.
It also disclosed that between January and March this year, of 29,583 secondary students, some 825 students had been tested positive for drugs.
Although the statistics are alarming and the war against drugs in the country is far from over, maybe it is time for Malaysians to reflect on what the famous ancient Chinese general, Sun Tzu, said in his strategy book The Art of War:
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself, but not the enemy, for every victory gained, you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
This is why the country’s sole internationally recognised anti-graft commission with 50 years of experience has made clarion calls for the nation and people to change tactics and to declare a war against bribery.
On Monday, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner Datuk Dzulkifli Ahmad called upon senators in the Dewan Negara to urge the government to declare corruption and abuse of power as the country’s No. 1 enemy.
One does not need to be a rocket scientist to figure out Dzulkifli’s message — we need to mount a war to end all wars on crimes.
Bribery involving border officials is one reason why drugs, illegal weapons, illegal immigrants and criminals as well as terrorists can easily penetrate our country.
Dzulkifli’s vision clearly echoes what Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said in September 2013 at the Commonwealth Club Lecture in San Francisco, United States, where he had vowed to make corruption part of Malaysia's past, not its future.
It is time for Malaysia to create her own model by focusing resources and efforts in one single war on corruption and abuse of power in order to put a stop to all drug trade, at the very least.
Ahmad Benyamin
Kuala Lumpur