KUCHING: State PKR chairman Baru Bian hopes the government will empower community leaders and Rela members to arrest suspected drug pushers in Lawas.
Speaking at a press conference after officiating at the PKR Sarawak Convention 2017 here yesterday, Baru said he was appalled by the statistics from the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) which showed that one out of four students in Lawas have been tested positive for drugs.
“Community leaders and Rela members should be given the authority to arrest and refer the suspect(s) to the police because there are no policemen at the longhouses where drug abuse is rampant,” said Baru, who is also Ba Kelalan assemblyman.
Community leaders should also be given the authority to bring the suspects to the Native Court under the Native Customary Law for drug abuse.
Baru said he was glad the government had openly admitted of the drug-related problems in Lawas.
“However, I am also made to understand that these drug problems are not only confined to the Lawas area but also in other parts of the state.”
He added that members of associations, community leaders, religious authorities, elected representatives, police, teachers and parents must work hand-in-hand to seriously address this drug issue.
“I also know that even in my own village, they (drug pushers) are selling drugs to the children,” said Baru, adding he might table this (drug) issue at the next state legislative assembly sitting.
He also called upon enforcement agencies to be more serious in fighting the drug menace by charging the suspects and drug traffickers in court.
He also cited a past case where a teacher in Lawas was suspected of abusing and trafficking drugs.
“The teacher was arrested and was later transferred to Lawas Education Office. Longhouse folk, after knowing about this (transfer), assumed that the teacher was being promoted.”
On a different subject, Baru said he would not be surprised if the state government would flex its immigration autonomy to bar entry of certain opposition leaders into the state during the heat of the coming general Election.
“They have done it before, there is nothing to stop them from doing it again,” he added.
He said it was actually a sign of desperation on the part of the state government to prevent people who knew the truth from sharing the truth with Sarawakians and Sabahans.
He was, however, confident that the people in Sabah and Sarawak would yearn for a change in government if these individuals were able to share their experiences and success stories of opposition-led state governments in Peninsular Malaysia.