KUCHING: Persatuan Pencegahan Dadah Malaysia (PEMADAM) Sarawak will seek an increase in its annual allocation to RM1 million to strengthen prevention programmes and expand statewide anti-drug education efforts.
The decision was agreed at the State Administrative Board Meeting 2026, chaired by its chairman, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
Abdul Karim noted that PEMADAM has been allocated RM650,000 for 2026, comprising RM150,000 for administrative expenditure and RM500,000 for programme implementation.
“The allocation represents an increase from the organisation’s initial funding of RM150,000 in earlier years, but remains insufficient to sustain and expand prevention programmes across Sarawak’s growing districts and communities,” he added after the meeting at Waterfront Hotel today.
The committee unanimously agreed to apply for the increase to RM1 million, which will be submitted to the State Cabinet for consideration.
The allocation supports PEMADAM’s prevention-focused approach, with 92 awareness programmes implemented statewide in 2025 alone, targeting schools, rural communities, universities and families through multi-agency collaboration.
These programmes involved agencies such as the National Anti-Drugs Agency (AADK), the Department of Education, Police, Customs, UNIFOR and religious authorities.
“Our focus is education and community engagement, not enforcement. We use sports, e-sports, family-based programmes and creative initiatives to instil strong anti-drug values among youth,” Abdul Karim said, adding that prevention remains PEMADAM’s core approach.
He added that Sarawak remains among the states with relatively low drug incidence based on monitoring and school screening programmes, though statistics are not publicly disclosed to avoid stigmatising schools and communities, and that targeted intervention programmes are implemented discreetly in identified areas, emphasising early awareness, family engagement and long-term prevention.
