RAYA GATHERING: (Seated from second left) Sessions Court judge Indra Ayub, Justice Yew Jen Kie and staff of courts, lawyers and family members during the Court Raya open house last Friday. The event saw Judge Indra giving away ‘duit raya’ to children.
KUCHING: Former drug addicts too have a bright future and can become productive citizens just like anyone else for as long as they return to the right path, says Minister of Housing and Urban Development Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg.
What was most important, he said, was that during the rehabilitation process they must realise that they had followed the wrong path in the past and that they made a change to the right path.
Abang Johari, who is also Minister of Tourism and Heritage, said this at a Hari Raya open house of a Drug Rehabilitation Centre (Puspen) at Km10 Jalan Penrissen near here yesterday.
“Of course, we are bound to make certain mistakes in life but it doesn’t mean that it is the end for us if we go back to the right path and redeem ourselves. After picking all the positive attitudes and be a disciplined person, I am sure former addicts too can contribute to the development of the society and country,” he said.
He said it would be a waste of resource if they could not change to become better persons after undergoing the rehabilitation process.
He urged them to be strong in their religious beliefs no matter what religion they belonged to.
Abg Johari thanked Puspen’s Visitors Board headed by Datuk Abg Khalid Abg Marzuki for their proactive approach in getting the inmates to interact with the society.
He said that the government, on the other hand, would give its full support to the board so that they would be able to carry out all their work more effectively. He later announced a RM10,000 grant to the board.
Meanwhile, Puspen director Winnie Lugit, revealed that 146 inmates were presently undergoing rehabilitation at the centre.
Of the number, 104 were referred to them under the Drug Addiction Act 1983 (Treatment and Rehabilitation) while rest came in voluntarily through the various relevant bodies.
She also said that six among the inmates had been sent to the centre twice and three for the third time.