KOTA KINABALU: Petronas yesterday disclosed that most parents were not well informed about drugs, especially the latest in the market and this leads to the failure of them identifying the substance nor recognising the symptoms of drug misuse.
“Forty percent of parents never talk to their children on issues related to drug abuse and this puts the young at high risk of being influenced, as there is no guidance by the family,” said Datuk Mohd Yunus Pathi, president of Pengasih Malaysia at joint media conference to unveil the study.
Led by Professor Madya Dr Siti Eshah Mokhsien of Universiti of Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), the two-year research was undertaken in collaboration with Pengasih under
a community outreach programme known as Program Kenali Anak Kita Petronas (PKAKP).
Both Petronas and Pengasih have established a steering committee to conduct
periodic studies to gauge the impact of the PKAKP programme as well as to document its effectiveness.
“Petronas hopes to expand the positive impact of PKAKP through a series of seminars and workshops conducted nationwide for the community and for our staff,” said Norliza
Kamaruddin, Senior General Manager of Group Strategic Communications of Petronas.
Earlier, there was a forum organised for Petronas staff who were mostly parents, which gave them the opportunities to interact with Pengasih and panel speakers, in
relation to various approaches of their roles and responsibility within the family institution.
Among the panelists were Tuan Hj Ramli Abdul Samad, from Pengasih and Dr Abdul Halim
Mohd Hussin, director of Psychology Management, Public Service Department.
Mohd Radhi Razali, better known as Radhi OAG, shared his experience in dealing with drug abusewhile his mother, Fatimah Wee Abdullah, also recommended solutions in preventing drug abuse among youngsters and children.
PKAKP was initiated by Petronas in 2009 in collaboration with Pengasih and is aimed at equipping parents with the skills and knowledge to help prevent substance abuse among their children and also the youth at large.
The PKAKP comprises activities such as seminars, workshop and dialogues sessions for parents as well as Petronas staff at Petronas major operating areas.