Are the enforcement agencies inefficient in addressing drug problems - asked Abdul Karim

April 4, 2018

SIBU: The increase in the number of drug addicts nationwide remains a sad situation, despite Malaysia having one of the toughest laws to tackle this menace.

In view of this, the Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah believed that the government – especially those entrusted to address these problems – must do ‘some soul-searching on where things had gone wrong’.

The Borneo Post reported today, Abdul Karim, who is also National Association for Prevention of Drugs (Pemadam) Sarawak chairman, questioned: “Are the enforcement agencies inefficient in addressing this menace?

Ensure schools free from gangsters, drug traffickers and hooligans

May 6, 2017

SIBU: Serious efforts must be made to ensure that schools would be free from gangsters, drug traffickers and hooligans.

In stating this yesterday, Assistant Minister for Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah stressed that the problem must be nipped in the bud; not ‘swept under the carpet’ for the sake of upholding the school’s reputation.

He was reacting to Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) senior vice-chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye’s call for schools authorities to give utmost attention to attempts by gangs to penetrate schools and recruit students to join them.

Lee had said school heads must not hide these activities just for the sake of maintaining the school’s name or reputation, and all teachers and school prefects must be the eyes and ears of the authorities to keep gangsterism away from schools.

“I am unsure how bad is the situation that is… gangsters recruiting school students as members but I certainly agree with MCPF that this matter cannot be ‘swept under the carpet’ to protect the good name of the school. 

Karim welcomes proposed amendment to gambling law

February 17, 2017

SIBU: Assistant Minister for Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah welcomed the news on the proposed amendment of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 to curb online gambling.

“However, I have yet to study this proposed amendment and do hope it could curtail online gambling,” Abdul Karim, who is Asajaya assemblyman, told The Borneo Post yesterday.

The assistant minister was commenting on the Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s recent statement that the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 would be amended to combat online gambling.

 

Meanwhile the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) senior vice-chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the move to amend the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 is long overdue as there is a need to add more bite to the Act with gambling becoming very sophisticated these days.

He also pointed out that there is a need to update the Act to cope with the technological advances as it is difficult to check and trace online gambling.

Revisit methods of addressing drug menace – Abdul Karim

June 19, 2016

SIBU: Methods to address the menace of drug abuse need to be revisited as such cases continue to rise.

Assistant Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said he believes the main reason is the lack of strong and committed law enforcement against drug trafficking and abuse.

“We need a revisit on how we should address the drug abuse problem as despite all the stringent laws, drug trafficking and abuse seem to be on the increase,” he told thesundaypost when commenting on the Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation’s (MCPF) call for the Ministry of Education to take the worsening drug abuse among students to the cabinet for immediate action.

“Too much money is at stake and I am not surprised, the lack of commitment, enforcement, prosecution and committal of offenders has something to do with that.”

He called on parents and schools to play a bigger role in educating children to shun drugs.

“The war against drug abuse is a long and tough battle and if we lose this war, our future generation will be at stake,” he added.

According to National Anti-Drugs Agency (AADK) statistics, in 2014 a total of 13,605 new drug addicts were detected, accounting for 62.47 per cent of the total 21,777 addicts in the country, with repeat cases contributing 37.53 per cent or 8,172 cases.

Abdul Karim: Check vaping in schools, colleges

January 7, 2016

SIBU: The Education Ministry is urged to put a check on vaping before it reaches a critical level.

In giving this reminder, Assistant Minister of Social Development (Youth) Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said he was reacting to the Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation’s (MCPF) call for the ministry to expedite the issuance of a circular to all schools and educational institutions on the guidelines to prohibit vaping.

Its vice-chairman, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, reportedly said the use of vape in schools and educational institutions should be disallowed in view of the long-term disastrous effects on the students’ health.

Lee was also reported to support fully the ministry’s decision to ban vaping among students and teachers in schools and other educational institutions.

Abdul Karim, who is Asajaya assemblyman, said: “I fully agree that the Education Ministry must prohibit vaping in all schools and educational institutions.”

Apart from the findings that vaping had a long term disastrous effect on health, it also did not help in students and teachers economically, he added.

Use ‘educational approach’ to combat drug abuse, says Abdul Karim

April 6, 2015

SIBU: Drug awareness programmes should be intensified to educate the public, particularly students, on the dangers of drug abuse.

Assistant Minister of Youth Development Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who made the suggestion, said educating the people was more important than conducting drug screenings in schools, which is not something new.

“This has been done in some schools in Sarawak, where some students were suspected of drug abuse,” Abdul Karim, who is Asajaya assemblyman, told The Borneo Post yesterday.

Abdul Karim: Setting up district-level MCPF the right move

March 31, 2015

SIBU: Assistant Minister of Youth Development Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah praised the effort to set up the Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) in all districts nationwide yesterday.

Abdul Karim, who is Asajaya assemblyman, was commenting on Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s statement that MCPF would set up branches in districts nationwide to curb crimes involving juveniles aged between seven and 14 years old.

“I do agree that crimes are being committed by those in the younger age group, and though it has not reached a critical stage, this is something for us to ponder and address because these young offenders will be getting older and we do not want them to continue their bad habits,” he added.

He pointed out that schools, NGOs (non-governmental bodies), and especially parents, had a big role to play in moulding youths so that they would not end up a menace to society.

“They must be guided to be responsible citizens even when they are still young,” he stressed.

“Hopefully all members of society could play their part as this cannot be addressed by the police or schools,” added Abdul Karim.

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi reportedly said crimes involving juveniles rose despite a drop in the 2014 crime index to 12.6 per cent since the Prevention of Crime Act 2013 was introduced.

Halt the drug scourge

September 15, 2014

“Many drug users are from the younger generation because of peer influence and trend." -Tuan Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah

Agency: 7 out of every 10 drug addicts caught in Malaysia last year aged between 19 and 39

SIBU: Loud calls for more educational and youth-related programmes are ringing across the country as drug abuse is ensnaring a huge number of youths.

In the first 11 months of last year, of the 7,078 drug addicts rounded up, 4,893 – or 69.13 per cent – were individuals aged between 19 and 39.

According to the National Anti-Drugs Agency’s (AADK), friends had influenced 2,929 of these 7,078 drug addicts, or 42.88 per cent, to get hooked on drugs.

Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) vice chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye urged the Malaysian Drug Prevention Association (Pemadam) to implement more educational programmes as the bulk of drug addicts were youths.

“The answer to this drug problem is actually prevention. Unless and until you can mount an effective prevention programme, you will be just ‘fire-fighting’ all the time.

“More importantly, is the prevention programme (effective) to stop people from getting hooked on drugs? This is the most practical way, and it requires a concerted effort,” Lee told The Borneo Post.

Lee said sporting activities were also effective in keeping youths from being lured into taking drugs.

Kejampatka pengawa nyeliahka sindiket dadah beterabaika nembiak sekula: Karim

July 17, 2014

SIBU: Pengawa kena nyeliah sindiket dadah beterabaika nembiak sekula patut dikemerat sereta dikejampat.

Menteri Muda Pemansang Raban Nembiak Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah madah, enti laun ngatur pengawa dikena nyeliahka pekara tu tau ngeruga pengidup nembiak jemah ila.

“Pekara tu patut diputarka kitai enggau naka pengelengkas,” pia ku iya maya dipinta ngelansa ripot Bernama ti madahka sindiket dadah diatu nyau berani ngiga nembiak sekula nyual dadah.

Ba ripot Bernama, Sapit Menteri Dalam Nengeri Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar madahka nembiak sekula diatu dikena sindiket dadah nyual dadah laban bulih untung ke mayuh agi enti dijual ba sekula.

Ku Wan Junaidi, nembiak muntang mendingka jaku tauka lengkas tepawah runding enggau jaku umbuk.

Berindik ari pekara tu, Wan Junaidi madah, sida deka ngiga palan ke patut ba menua tu alai ngatur program pelajar bekaul enggau pengawa munaska dadah.

Abdul Karim ti mega Kaban Kunsil Nengeri Asajaya mantaika penemu, bala raban sindiket dadah naka alah ngiga chara dikena ngulihka untung mayuh.

Stop students from being used as drug distributors

July 16, 2014

SIBU: The menace of drug syndicates targeting school children to peddle drugs must be nipped in the bud, stressed Assistant Minister of Youth Development Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

“If it is not curtailed early, our future generation can be destroyed,” he cautioned when reacting to a Bernama report that drug syndicates in the country had become more and more daring by using schoolchildren to distribute drugs.

The report further quoted Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar as saying schoolchildren were now being targeted by the pushers as they saw a good market in schools.

According to Wan Junaidi, students were easily influenced because there were those among them who did not know the ill effects of drug abuse.

Wan Junaidi also reportedly said they would identify hotspots in the country and implement prevention programmes.

Abdul Karim, who is Asajaya assemblyman, warned that drug syndicates would use all avenues to make more money as to them it didn’t matter whether the drug users were school children, women, poor folks, rich folks or professionals.

What was important to them, he added, was getting more people to become drug users because more users meant more money for them.