After reading my Presidential Manifesto people ask me can strict penalties and actions prevent drug abuse? My answer is simple, YES and NO. My policy is Punishment and Prevention.
I believe we need tough and strict penalties to prevent drug from coming into the country and a wider approach in the process of rehabilitation and prevention.
I believe if we impose death sentence to the drug trafficker and really carryout death sentences by lethal injection for a period of 10 years, drug situation in the Maldives can be reversed. The suppliers will have enough fear in them that very few will ever attempt to traffic.
Death sentence is hard for a community such as ours to absorb and there will be limited pressure from Human Rights groups, but each country has a right to protect its citizens and its future generation. Today if we do not take tough decisions, face the problem squarely, tomorrow our children may not live to take that decision.
No matter how hard it is, we have no choice. If we want our children to be protected from drug, we should be ready to wage war against that.
Umar Naseer
President
IDP
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
11 comments:
Don’t tell me that you believe imposing death sentence on drug traffickers (capital punishment) will provide the social re-engineering the Maldives requires. This policy is a departure from the crux of the matter and I seriously qualify it and request you to re-think beyond the obvious.
I agree with you.
Capital punishment is the only policy of yours that i can agree with.
Capital punishment for drug traffickers as in Singapore with an effective and independent judicial system can bring about changes that we all want to see.
There has to be a clear distinction from users who sell the stuff to sustain their usage from hard core traffickers.
Said that, I wouldn't want to see an innocent person murdered either.
An equal emphasis should be given in the rehabilitation process of addicts as well. Otherwise your policy will be doomed to fail. When i say rehabilitation process, it involves in establishing an effective mental health system.
I ask you how you are going to do that?
In response to your email.. which is posted below.. as i feel that if you want to continue this conversation i would prefer it to be public.
Umar Naseer : "Thanks for your comment on my blog. I believe in a wider approach to rehabilitation and prevention. I want users to be taken to rehabilitation centres with or without consent and they be given first class rehabilitation. Please go through page 5,6 & 7 of my manifesto and give me your comment, if any."
Infact, i have gone through it before i made my first comment. As i said before the only thing i support is capital punishment to drug traffickers. As i said before, I wouldn't want to see an innocent person being murdered either.
I have much to say regarding your manifesto and specially on your approach in dealing with the drug crisis . As you are saying that you are going to tax us, more than anything else i have more questions for you which i need answers. There are many such questions but for the time being i will only restrict myself to the very obvious ones.
1. from where are you going to establish an independent laboratory to test people on drugs? Are you talking about a foreign laboratory or establishing a local one? From where are you going to get trained professionals who are capable of conducting such tests? Are you going to bring in foreign personnel or train locals? What mechanisms are you going to use to seek that the ones who are conducting these tests maintain their professionalism as corruption can seek in to these very rapidly like fire as in other much more developed countries?
2. The suicide rate in Maldives cannot be entirely based on drugs. The mental stress and deterioration of people is evident even if we look in to peoples' faces. More emphasis need to be given in tackling the real issues behind suicide rates of which one major element lacking in the system is a well functioning mental health system. How many mental health professionals does the country have? What will you do to establish such a system where confidentiality of patients (including that of drug addicts seeking help) is maintained to the strictest of level possible? What is the professional help that will be available?
3. The most shocking of your “policies” regarding the treatment of addicts is that of which when you say you will force addicts “with or with out their consent” in to rehabilitation. This clearly suggests that you don't have a clue of what an addict goes through. If you think that this strategy is going to work, you are not only dreaming but you are one of the biggest fools. Please refer to my posts on my blog regarding drug rehabilitation and treatment. Countries around the world has tested this hard core approach of yours and has failed miserably in the past. “With or with out consent” approach is a violation of basic human right. That right can only become irrelevant when others are in danger or the drug addicts addict themselves are endangering their lives. There are other many points and issues which has to be considered for such an approach. In most developed countries where each and every human being is treated as humanely as possible (no matter in which condition they are in), something called a metal health system is established. Under such a system drug addicts are treated. Not under a “counselling system” or jail sytem as such as which exists in Maldives. There are systems in place where a patient can be considered as an involuntary patient and such. Involuntary treatment orders are given out to enforce such a strategy and each of these are clearly defined so that patients rights are not infringed. Apart from all these , there also should be guidelines in how forensic patients are treated. How do you bring about these changes? I want to know exactly how? In detail?
4. Institutionalising those who are “hard core”addicts as you say is not a solution. No where in the world has this approach worked. Infact, nowadays institutionalising is considered as a violation of basic human rights. Are you suggesting that with or with without consent a person should be degraded to a level in such that they be treated like a bunch of animals to be sent to a separate island away from the rest of us? I cant agree with that. Nor will any sane human being will. I have a feeling that you are saying this in search of votes. These days the most effective treatment is given infact in the community as it is the community that these drug addicts will return to in the end.
There are many more loopholes and weak points in your policies which i demand answers. For the time being i think i have said more than enough for you to digest.
Cosmetic solutions is not what is needed for the drug crisis. Don't try to hoodwink the masses. If you are not , then you obviously don't know what you are taking about.
Can drugs be stopped? The answer is no. We can never stop drugs being trafficked in neither we can fully eliminate drug users. But we can reduce the amount substantially with the right approach.
for sure!
but we will need to implement a very strict law!
I agree with strict policies against drugs. But I am completely opposed to death penalty. Killing people never stopped a crime. Death is infact an easy way out for most people. Your policy is focused on getting rid of people and not really the problem. I almost fell of my chair laughing when I read about the whole sending people to a faraway island as a way of dealing with addicts.Your whole manifesto sounds rather absurd and naive. The last thing we want from a leader.
bullshit! if you intend to kill our citizens because they are drug traffickers we will never vote you! you want to inflict fear in the hearts of people? so that they would not smuggle drugs into the country? educate people will you? that would be better!
I agree that Imposing strict penalties are necessary to Get the Maldives rid of drugs but You who agree so much with Islamic Laws should know that a Death Penalty can be imposed only in three circumstances on a Muslim. And Drug Importing is not one of them..
But your methods are very good. Hope you success
Post a Comment