SIBU: An integrated collaborative effort from various parties with government agencies is necessary to address the drug abuse problem throughout the state.
Hence, Sibu District Officer Khalid Andong called for the community to help the government in its efforts to ensure that residential environments, educational institutions and training centres are free of drug abuse.
Khalid stressed that the community environment should always be in a conducive condition.
He also said that programmes related to awareness regarding drug prevention also needed to be conducted actively.
“This collaboration will ultimately provide returns to the country and society. The country can save costs to deal with drug problems,” he said in his speech during the closing ceremony of The Walking Message Programme: Ihya Ramadhan 2023 here on Saturday (April 15).
Khalid stressed that with the current digitalisation era, the use of new applications and technology should always be explored as well as used to strengthen efforts to handle and spread awareness of drug abuse.
He added awareness through all the digital platforms was important as some irresponsible parties had used social media platforms and shopping applications to sell equipment for drug abuse.
“Therefore, various parties, especially the parents of the family, need to constantly monitor their children’s online activities so that they don’t get caught up in drug abuse.
“The youth are the human capital that will lead the country in the future. They need to be equipped with a strong identity to avoid social problems including drug abuse,” he stressed.
He also said the drug problem was a manifestation of other social problems such as household fragility, low level of education, street crime and poverty.
Therefore, he called on the people to benefit from the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) hotline movement centre and the information provided on its media platform to stop the problem of drug abuse.
Also present were representatives of the Sibu Division Resident Office Awang Mohammed Nizam Awang Ali Bohan, Sibu District AADK District Head Azimah Marsid, chairman of Surau Darul Islam, Jalan Bandong Marzuki Radin Mahmud and others.
