House factions urge tougher Ecstasy bill

JAKARTA (JP): All the factions in the House of Representatives welcomed a government bill designed to curtail the abuse of Ecstasy pills among youth, but some doubt that the maximum punishment proposed is sufficient to deter violations.

The Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) questioned the proposed maximum penalty, which is less than the death penalty under the 1976 narcotic law.

"It is possible that the social impact of psychotropic drugs is worse than narcotics," PDI faction spokesman M. Safei Ali Gumay said during a House plenary session of the second reading of the Bill on Psychotropic Substances.

The faction argued that the punishment should be commensurate with the risk and impact of the violation.

The Armed Forces (ABRI) faction said the abuse of certain psychotropic substances is often more damaging than narcotic abuses. "Consequently, sanctions should be stiffer," spokesman Tjutju Gandanurhadi said.

The government has not specifically stipulated the minimum and maximum punishments in the bill, leaving the matter for deliberation by the House's factions.

But Minister of Health Sujudi in the first reading of the bill on Sept. 5 said, the minimum penalty should be more than that for the abuse of general drugs, as outlined in the 1992 Health Law, which is 15 years, and the maximum penalty should not exceed that stipulated under the 1976 narcotic law, which is death.

All the factions -- including the Golkar and the United Development Party -- welcomed the bill as timely given the increasing abuse of the Ecstasy pills among Indonesian youth.

The police's anti-Ecstasy drive has been undermined by the absence of an effective legislation to punish producers, traffickers and users of the designer pills.

Ecstasy is not classified a narcotic, and therefore prosecutors have had to use an article on the distribution of dangerous drugs under the 1992 Health Law.

While indicating that the bill would get swift passage, the factions said some of the provisions should be tightened up to effectively stamp out abuse.

They recognized the benefits of the substances in medicine but underscored the danger to youth, and subsequently the nation, if the abuse was not curtailed.

The ABRI faction said the bill should apply to all psychotropic substances, and not be restricted to addictive substances.

The PDI faction said the bill should extend the punishment to those involved in syndicates, which are believed to be behind the distribution of most Ecstasy pills. (05)