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.