'It's better to shoot dead drug traffickers'

The alarming level of drug abuse and trafficking in the country has prompted the police to vow to crackdown on drugs nationwide. NGO reports say that there are about four million drug addicts in the country based on data gathered from rehabilitation centers, hospitals, and police reports. In response, The Jakarta Post asked several city residents their opinion.

Tauhid, 30, lives in Cilincing, North Jakarta. He is currently unemployed but used to work as a front desk officer at a hotel in Jl. Hayam Wuruk, West Jakarta.

I wish what I have heard about the police' plan were true, that they would seriously crack down on drugs.

Drug abuse and trafficking in Jakarta are so rampant that it can be found in almost every part of the city.

I saw for myself how the red light district where I worked was a haven for drug addicts and traffickers. But thank God I never took the risk of taking drugs.

It's the right time now to crack down on such crime. But sometimes I feel pessimistic about the commitment of law enforcers who are willing to accept bribes from high profile drug traffickers.

I'm of the opinion that the problem will never be appropriately solved because the law enforcers actually never get to the root of the problem.

Drug abuse is like a cancer. The patient will never fully recover if the doctor does not remove its root.

It is no use to nab small-time users who take drugs occasionally while at the same time allowing the big manufacturers and traffickers to get away with it.

I'm really sick of the situation in which drug abusers and traffickers are able to freely operate in the city.

Viva, not her real name, 29, is a widow who lives in Mampang, South Jakarta with her only son:

I wonder whether or not the police are serious about intensifying their crackdown on drugs. Their reputation is questionable.

Everybody knows that the voracious police officers readily accept bribes and therefore can release a drug offender or allow them to operate freely.

People are very disappointed as drug traffickers they help arrest are finally released or just given lenient sentences by law enforcers after receiving bribes.

It means that the good intention of the public to help the police is ignored. I myself feel skeptical about the police action.

I think drug traffickers and the abusers are on the increase. They no longer need a hide-out to make deal or to consume drugs. It's very open now.

Drug addicts have no fear anymore about consuming any kind of drugs here, I reckon. I'm really sick of them.

It would be better to shoot dead traffickers and manufactures. That way we can alleviate the drug problem in the city. Otherwise they remain a threat to society.

Thank God I have never been involved in illicit drugs even though my ex-husband was addicted to drugs for years.

Yanto, 56, is a neighborhood unit chief in West Jakarta. He has a wife and three children:

I'm skeptical about the police pledge to combat the drug problem in the city. My pessimism is due to the fact that the evidence (drugs) often disappears during the trial. So where is the evidence?

Many believe that police re-sell it to traffickers. The public are unaware of many drug cases involving police and military officers.

Worse still, many law enforcers lack the determination to combat drugs due to the temptation of bribes.

If they do intensify the crack down, I think it is just a front. They are just pretending to intensify the crackdown.

How can we believe them in this respect? However, I would try to put aside my pessimism and support their measures if they are serious.

The low salaries of law enforcers are no longer an appropriate excuse to justify their wrongdoings.

Hanafi, not his real name, 31, is a migrant worker who is here on vacation. He resides in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta:

It will be useless for police to crack down on the drug traffickers and the abusers. But, well, it's a step in the right direction.

The alarming level of drug problems is partly due to the law enforcers who are party to drug trafficking. The public cannot be fooled in this aspect.

So the most important thing is how to combat the drug dealers and the police and military supporters too. Those among the abusers, traffickers and the manufacturers, should be taken to court or even shot to death. Otherwise, the drug problem will ruin society as a whole.

Without the serious resolve and determination of law enforcers, the problems will never be resolved.

I reckon that drugs destroy our lives. I used to consume drugs and I felt that my brain had slowed. I quit drugs a few years ago after I realized how they had damaged my body. Leo Wahyudi S