TEMPO.CO, Jakarta-The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) spokesman Slamet Pribadi has vowed to improve coordination following the change in status of BNN chief into a minister level. The coordination would affect drugs eradication efforts in Indonesia.

“One thing for sure is the drug eradication strategy will improve, and drug user will decrease,” he told Tempo on Sunday, March 13, 2016.

Before the change, Slamet said, cross-ministry coordination in relation to drug cases had not been very good. For instance, he said, meeting with BNN chief had often been attended by ministerial staff, instead of institutional senior officers who could make policies. “We had been belittled and underappreciated,” he said.

The change in status could improve BNN chief’s existence. Cooperation would be easier in prevention measures, with Education and Culture Ministry or Religious Affairs Ministry; in rehabilitation measures with Social Affairs Ministry. “To cut down or investigate drug network, cooperation with the [National] Police will also be easier,” Slamet said.

Deputy of Institution and Procedure Division of Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Rini Widyantini said that her office, together with BNN, had been discussing the change in status of BNN chief into a minister level without discussing change in status of the agency into a ministry level. “The agency will still be a non-ministerial government department,” she said.

However, Rini is unsure if the status change could improve inter-agency coordination. She also unsure if it is the right solution to tackle current drug issues, citing that inter-agency coordination to eradicate drug had already been regulated by presidential instruction. “Instead of changing the status of BNN chief, it would be better to comply with the existing regulation of coordination,” she said.

According to Rini, if the problem lies in lack of funding in BNN’s drug eradication efforts, it should not have been resolved by changing the status of BNN chief into a minister level as it would not entail budget increase. “[Budget increase could be achieved] without changing the structure or position, BNN only needs to propose strategic objectives to increase the required budget” she said.

MITRA TARIGAN