Light punishment

Light punishment

From Jayakarta

The news in Jayakarta (Nov. 26, 1996) under the heading
Smuggler of 60,778 Ecstasy pills gets 10 months really stunned
me.

How could I feel otherwise? Someone who smuggled a monstrous
amount of illegal drugs into the country gets away with a jail
term of less than a year? These drugs carry an enormous value in
terms of money, not to mention the harmful, devastating effect
that could wreak havoc upon the younger generation.

What is going to happen to Zarina, who was in possession of
29,677 Ecstasy pills? We can just imagine that her punishment is
going to be much lighter, especially since it is rumored that
this sexy girl is being given special treatment in prison. We do
not understand why.

At any rate, light jail terms meted out to drug pushers and
smugglers will only affect us negatively. Among other things, it
could encourage individuals to take drugs or become drug
traffickers. It could also encourage Ecstasy smuggling. The
relatively light penalty compared with the market value of the
drugs could cause some people to think:

`Never mind the one-year jail term, as long as I am making
millions of rupiah. It is much better than being unemployed and
having nothing.'

Before the Ecstasy business becomes a growing menace, a law
should be drafted based on the damaging effects it may produce in
the future.

MELINAWATI

Bogor, West Java