President wants urine test for all public officials<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
For President Megawati Soekarnoputri, a clean government does
\nnot rest with being free from corruption, collusion and nepotism,
\nbut also from drugs.<\/p>\n
During a Cabinet meeting on Thursday that focused on combating
\ndrugs, Megawati ordered all public servants, including Cabinet
\nministers, to undergo urine tests to prove they are free from
\nillegal drugs.<\/p>\n
National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said after the
\nmeeting that Megawati wanted all state officials to act as role
\nmodels in the movement against drug abuse.<\/p>\n
"There should be a strong commitment from the state
\napparatus...the President expects all the state officials and
\nministers to make sure that their offices are clean from drugs by
\nconducting urine tests," Da'i said.<\/p>\n
However, he did not elaborate on the funding and
\ntechnicalities of the tests, which will affect around two million
\npublic servants.<\/p>\n
Each urine test costs around Rp 6,000.<\/p>\n
Da'i said the President hoped that the tests could be added to
\nthe annual appraisal of public servants' performance.<\/p>\n
A doping expert from the National Sports Council, James
\nTangkudung, suggested that the tests be conducted randomly and
\nwithout prior notice.<\/p>\n
"Traces of light drugs, including shabu-shabu (crystal
\nmethamphetamine), can disappear in three days. It takes even less
\ntime to cleanse the body from the drug by drinking large amounts
\nof water or by taking diuretics," he said.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has been on the high alert to drug trafficking in
\nthe past year and an estimated 3.4 million people, or a quarter
\nof Jakarta's total population, are known to be drug addicts in
\nthe country, according to a survey conducted by a consortium of
\nnon-governmental organizations last year.<\/p>\n
The country has repeatedly handed the death penalty to drug
\nproducers and traffickers, Megawati is known to be one of the
\nsupporters of capital punishment.<\/p>\n
Da'i said that almost 43 percent of Indonesian inmates at the
\nmoment have been jailed due to drug-related offenses. The
\nMinistry of Justice and Human Rights is currently building a
\nseparate prison for drug offenders in Cirebon, West Java and on
\nNusa Kambangan island.<\/p>\n
The police chief also said that international drug traffickers
\noften lure Indonesian wives or girlfriends to act as their
\ncouriers. The latest information reveals that 27 Indonesian women
\nwere arrested abroad for drug-related crimes during the past
\nyear.<\/p>\n
To empower the current National Coordinating Board on
\nNarcotics (BKNN), the government is currently finalizing a
\npresidential decree that will provide the board with more
\nauthority in conducting their duties.<\/p>\n
"The decree will provide the board the authority to conduct an
\noperation and make arrests. The operation will be conducted
\njointly with the police narcotics unit, but with an additional
\nbudget provided by the board," Da'i said.<\/p>\n
He also said that membership of the new board, to be
\nestablished in the near future, will involve other ministries.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/president-wants-urine-test-for-all-public-officials-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}