National Narcotics Agency To Focus on Handling Drugs Dealer, Social Affairs and Health Ministries on Handling Drugs User

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut B. Pandjaitan gave a press statement on Monday (21/9) afternoon, at the Presidential Office, Jakarta.

In order to make it more efficient and to avoid overlapping, the Government will re-arrange the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT), the Maritime Security Board (Bakamla) and the National Narcotics Agency (BNN).

“Regarding BNTP, the role will be specified so that there is no overlapping. The institution will handle issues in an integrated way. The program runs, but the President asked the program to be integrated,” Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut B. Pandjaitan said to the reporters after a limited meeting, on Monday (21/9) afternoon at the Presidential Office, Jakarta.

According to Luhut, the role of BAKAMLA will be strengthened; thus, law on Shipping and Maritime Affairs that has same contents, overlap or opposite one another will be reviewed.

In this way, Luhut added, BAKAMLA could play their role as a coast guard, unlike the current situation that the function of BAKAMLA overlaps with the function of Marine Empowering Conservation Agency (BKPL), the Navy (TNI AL), the National Police (Polri), and other institutions.

Regarding BNN, Luhut said that the limited meeting agreed to make a special prison for drugs dealer convicts separate from other convicts and the prison will be isolated, Furthermore, he said that programs related to drug users will be handled by the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Health.

“So the issue of drug dealers and drug users will be split up,” Luhut said.

Luhut further said that BNN will take comprehensive actions and handle the problem of drug dealers more deeply, as well as the drugs, than handle the problem of drug users. He also said that Chief of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso will have tons of works considering that the limited meeting agreed that drugs are dangerous in many ways.

“People is not only a user of transit party of the drugs but also as the destination and distributor. Therefore, the President asserted that drug abuse is a central issue,” Luhut said firmly.

Luhut added that Budi Waseso must work hard to strengthen his organization, job, duty and responsibility, as well as human capital if it is needed and refreshing and reorganizing must be conducted as well.

“I  talked with Budi Waseno 10 days ago and we will meet one week from now. He will come up with brand new concepts to strengthen BNN. The inputs will be reported to the President in 5-6 weeks,”Luhut said.    (SLN/EN/DID/AGG/ES) (RAS/ES/YM-Naster/Sy)