Susilo texts millions in antidrug campaign

Susilo texts millions in antidrug campaign

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Millions of mobile phone users across the country received on
Tuesday a short text message from a very important person.

For most it would have been the first time they received an
SMS from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

During a ceremony marking the International Day Against Drug
Abuse and Illicit Trafficking at the State Palace, Susilo sent a
text message to millions of users of all major mobile phone
service providers to raise their awareness of the campaign.

"Stop drug abuse and drug-related crimes right now. Let us
preserve and build a healthy, smart and progressive nation," said
the message.

It is not known how much the message delivery cost the state.
One text message costs between Rp 250 (2 US cents).

The message identified the sender as "Presiden RI" but unlike
Susilo's SMS hotline service, receivers could not reply to the
President.

Susilo is keen on his cell-phone and texting and often
mentions the service in official speeches.

He made public recently one of his private mobile numbers,
which he said was part of a bid to encourage feedback from the
public, promising to respond to callers. Unsurprisingly, phone
lines became jammed after the number became public and few people
known to have texted the President have received a response. One
who did, a teacher in a small town in Central Java who sent
Susilo an SMS to complain about his unpaid salary, said the
President told him he would look into the issue.

Later, Susilo's aides organized a new number to message the
President.

The senders sent messages on a wide range of issues, even
suggesting Susilo perform magical rituals to safeguard the
country and prevent more earthquakes and tsunamis.

During Tuesday's ceremony, Susilo reiterated the government's
firm stance against drug dealers, saying Indonesians considered
drug smuggling a serious crime.

"There has never been presidential pardon to a convicted drug
smuggler (in the country's history). This fact reveals that we
have a zero tolerance to drugs," he said.

Several ambassadors of neighboring countries attended the
ceremony.

Those who had been convicted for the crimes must serve out
their sentences, whether they were foreigners or Indonesian
nationals, Susilo said.

"I call on all parties to respect Indonesia's legal system.
There is no use launching a campaign to try and change public
opinion in order to free an individual found guilty of drug
offenses," he said.

The remark was apparently referring to Australian citizen
Schappele Corby, who was jailed for 20 years in May after being
convicted of smuggling 4.1 kilograms of marijuana into Bali.

The verdict sparked anger in Australia, with many Australians
believing Corby was a victim of an international drug ring.

A series of incidents targeting the Indonesian Embassy in
Canberra with a white powder substance were also suspected to
have been orchestrated by hard-core Corby supporters, which local
and Australian media have dubbed "Jamaah Corbiyah".

Susilo defended the country's law on narcotics with its
maximum death penalty for drug traffickers, saying death was an
effective deterrent in the fight to stop illegal drug use, which
has risen to alarming levels in the country.

The National Narcotics Body (BNN) revealed that around 3.2
million Indonesians or almost 1.5 percent of the population were
drug users. About 78 percent of them were youths in their 20s.

"The state must not give up its fight against criminals,
especially drug syndicates. Otherwise, they will rule the state,
which will lead to a failed state," he said.