TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Former Chief of the National Police (Polri) Criminal Investigative Unit, Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso, has been formally appointed as the Chief of the National anti-Narcotics Agency (BNN) in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Polri Chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti led the inauguration, which was held at BNN's Headquarters, and expressed his optimism that Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso has the capacity to increase BNN's capacity to combat drug-related crimes.
Badrodin said that Indonesia is still in a state of a drug-emergency, where 4.3 million people - equivalent ot 2.2 percent of Indonesia's total population - is addicted to drugs, which costed the state some Rp63 trillion to eradicate and mitigate.
"The impact is incredibly negative for the development of the society - drugs have caused students to drop out, caused moral degradation and destroys the health of one's mind and physique. Let us not forget those who has died as a result of drug abuses too," said Badrodin.
Indonesia, continued Badrodin, is no longer only a market for illicit drugs, as production facilities have been found dotted across the nation. As such, the war on drug use has to be stepped up.
"BNN needs to be able to push the necessary reforms, which by nature has to be significantly innovative and different to current approaches. As such, it needs a competent individual at its helm - and I am sure Budi Wases could help turn BNN into a more effective and efficient organization," said Badrodin.
The Chief of Polri also asked Budi Waseso to step up BNN's coordination with the appropriate ministers, the Police, as well as with local and religious leaders, in order to increase BNN's chances in eradicating the spread of drug use.
ANTARA