KUCHING: Dayak Integration Network Group has called on both the federal and Sarawak governments to explain the “leakages” allowing illegal drugs to continue reaching cities, towns and remote communities across the state despite repeated enforcement operations and awareness campaigns.
In a statement issued today, the group’s protem chairman, Bobby William, said the persistence of drug abuse and trafficking in urban, rural and interior areas of Sarawak, as widely reported by the media and discussed on social media, was a matter of grave concern.
Bobby said the government needed to explain where the system’s weaknesses lay that allowed drug supplies to penetrate even the most remote longhouse communities.
The group urged the federal and state governments to conduct a comprehensive review of border security, drug trafficking networks, the effectiveness of law enforcement, and the impact of existing prevention strategies.
It also stressed that enforcement agencies must strengthen institutional integrity and operational effectiveness, with firm action to be taken against any collusion, misconduct or corruption linked to drug syndicates.
Bobby said the fight against drugs could not rely on arrests and enforcement alone, calling for greater emphasis on early prevention, education, youth employment opportunities, rehabilitation programmes and stronger community participation, particularly in rural and longhouse areas.
“Drug abuse is no longer merely a criminal issue. It is a serious threat to public safety, public health, family institutions and the future of Sarawak’s younger generation,” he said in the statement.
The group called on the government to be more transparent by releasing comprehensive data on drug abuse trends, evaluating the effectiveness of current policies, and outlining a clear, measurable action plan.
Bobby said success could not be measured solely by the number of arrests made, adding that true success would only be achieved when the supply of illegal drugs was disrupted, criminal syndicates dismantled, and young people protected from becoming victims.
