THE FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS

Jakarta's Governor Sutiyoso is right to be concerned about the rising trend
of drug abuse among young Indonesians in his city. He is correct to
appreciate the part private citizens can play in fighting the growing
menace. And given the fact that drug peddlers have begun targeting
Indonesians as young as elementary school age as their victims, nobody can
dispute his wisdom in recognizing that housewives should be on the front
line of the campaign against drug abuse.

Sutiyoso should be careful, however, in encouraging private citizens to
initiate raids or take part in police raids on suspected drug pushers and
consumers as he did last Tuesday at City Hall.

Hundreds of residents in Kayu Putih subdistrict, East Jakarta, last Saturday
helped police arrest at least 30 men whom residents suspected of selling
drugs in houses in the area. Police confiscated one kilogram of marijuana,
35 grams of shabu-shabu (crystal metamphetamine) as well as Rp 13.5 million
in cash.

Quite understandably, Jakarta's police officers, from ordinary field
officers up to the city's highest police chief, Maj. Gen. Noegroho
Djajoesman, were happy with the result of the raid which, apart from the
success of busting one of the many drug pushing rings operating in the city,
also appeared to have proceeded orderly and without incident. "I welcome
people telling us that there were drug trafficking activities in their
neighborhood and helping in the arrest of dealers and traffickers," Noegroho
said.

The trafficking and abuse of drugs in Jakarta -- and possibly most other big
cities in Indonesia as well -- has indeed assumed levels which have become a
cause of real concern for parents. Whereas in previous years the illicit
trade was mostly limited to certain areas in the city already notorious for
various forms of delinquency, drug pushers seemed to have become more
aggressive lately and have moved closer, or even into, respectable
residential neighborhoods and schools.

Police authorities have in recent months confirmed reports that Indonesia
seems at present to be no longer a mere transit point for the international
narcotics trade, but has become a full-fledged market for drugs, soft and
hard. The police are taking the reports of increased drug trafficking in
schools seriously enough to plan sending supervisory squads to some of the
most vulnerable establishments in an effort to protect pupils and deter pushers.

Besides having become more ubiquitous, traffickers, especially those
operating in and around schools, have also become more aggressive in pushing
their trade. At some schools in Jakarta, pushers are reported to have begun
intimidating pupils and students into buying and using their merchandise. A
number of parents have reported that their children were threatened with
injury or even death by the pushers.

In brief, the moment seems indeed to have come for Jakarta's citizenry to
take a more serious view of the drug menace in their city. More so than in
most big cities in Indonesia, vulnerable young Indonesians -- students and
elementary school children in particular -- are exposed to the dangers of
drug abuse.

Under these circumstances, the full involvement of citizens to fight the
danger is indeed essential for the greatest possible degree of success in
this difficult battle against drugs. The main task of fighting the trade,
however, must always remain with the police who are, after all,
professionals trained for the job. Public participation must have its
limits, since it can all too easily degenerate into people taking justice
into their own hands.

In this sense, Jakarta's growing public awareness of the importance of their
role in the battle is indeed something to be lauded. Our hope is that by
encouraging such positive participation the drug menace can be forced back
to a minimum, or even be entirely wiped out.