Thursday, May 1, 2008
ACCORDING to the 2004 statistics, we have more than 42,000 government employees. According to the Public Service Department, 180 of them, or 0.004 per cent of the total number, have drug abuse record. Put that way, it did not sound much. Besides, drug abuse is not even the top ranking offence truancy or absence from work without leave is the top form of misconduct with more than 230 cases reported, The Brunei Times reported yesterday.
The figure 180, however, spoke volume about the kind of harm that the offence may have inflicted on many parties because the negative consequences of drug abuse affect not only individuals who abuse drugs but also their families and friends, businesses and government resources. A civil servant father who abuses drugs harms his relations with his family and children as the drug may severely infringe his capacity to function as a father or husband. He also places his family members at various social and psychological, not to mention, legal risks.
The most obvious effects of drug abuse which are manifested in the individuals who abuse drugs include ill health, sickness and, ultimately, death. Children of individuals who abuse drugs often are abused or neglected as a result of the individuals' preoccupation with drugs. Children who inhabit homes where hazardous chemicals are used often inhale dangerous chemical fumes and gases or ingest toxic chemicals or illicit drugs.
They commonly suffer from neglect that leads to psychological and developmental problems. The offence, when committed by civil servants, also means harm to the bureaucracy because the offenders lack of productivity as well as potential behavioural problems related to drugs will also affect the resources of the bureaucracy, not to mention its effects on the quality of public service rendered.
Another important point is this: The Brunei Times reported that more than 730 offenders were caught last year, 600 men and 120 women, where a majority of the offenders were unemployed. The interesting twist to the story is the fact most offenders were already in their 30s and were often repeat cases. Awang Pungot Hj Besar of the Narcotics Control Bureau summed it up well when he said how unfair it was to put most of the blame on the youths! He pointed out how most people would associate youth with drug abuse when in fact they only represented the smallest portion of the offenders caught.
What the report implies actually is that some of our adults, including the civil servants, have failed to set a good example for our youths when they committed the offence. How ironic that the report on drug abuse among civil servants and adults was published on the same day that the newspaper ran a story about the hard work of some education experts to create a new education model expected to bring about a paradigm shift in the mental orientation of school leaders. The workshop, attended by principals from all levels of educational institutions, provided an avenue to share experiences with international and local leaders with regard to changes in the educational system and learn from them.
The model being worked on is aimed to suit the needs of the nation, a speaker in a workshop on the subject mentioned, pointing out that inputs discussed in the event will serve as the basis for identifying guidelines to spearhead the transformational leadership. Most people understand that an important part of the educational process is the quality of role model available for students and the young minds. If we fail to provide people who set good examples for the youths, we are failing a large part of the process. The civil servants and adults who committed the offence are failing our youths, and this is a serious problem to our society.
The figure 180, however, spoke volume about the kind of harm that the offence may have inflicted on many parties because the negative consequences of drug abuse affect not only individuals who abuse drugs but also their families and friends, businesses and government resources. A civil servant father who abuses drugs harms his relations with his family and children as the drug may severely infringe his capacity to function as a father or husband. He also places his family members at various social and psychological, not to mention, legal risks.
The most obvious effects of drug abuse which are manifested in the individuals who abuse drugs include ill health, sickness and, ultimately, death. Children of individuals who abuse drugs often are abused or neglected as a result of the individuals' preoccupation with drugs. Children who inhabit homes where hazardous chemicals are used often inhale dangerous chemical fumes and gases or ingest toxic chemicals or illicit drugs.
They commonly suffer from neglect that leads to psychological and developmental problems. The offence, when committed by civil servants, also means harm to the bureaucracy because the offenders lack of productivity as well as potential behavioural problems related to drugs will also affect the resources of the bureaucracy, not to mention its effects on the quality of public service rendered.
Another important point is this: The Brunei Times reported that more than 730 offenders were caught last year, 600 men and 120 women, where a majority of the offenders were unemployed. The interesting twist to the story is the fact most offenders were already in their 30s and were often repeat cases. Awang Pungot Hj Besar of the Narcotics Control Bureau summed it up well when he said how unfair it was to put most of the blame on the youths! He pointed out how most people would associate youth with drug abuse when in fact they only represented the smallest portion of the offenders caught.
What the report implies actually is that some of our adults, including the civil servants, have failed to set a good example for our youths when they committed the offence. How ironic that the report on drug abuse among civil servants and adults was published on the same day that the newspaper ran a story about the hard work of some education experts to create a new education model expected to bring about a paradigm shift in the mental orientation of school leaders. The workshop, attended by principals from all levels of educational institutions, provided an avenue to share experiences with international and local leaders with regard to changes in the educational system and learn from them.
The model being worked on is aimed to suit the needs of the nation, a speaker in a workshop on the subject mentioned, pointing out that inputs discussed in the event will serve as the basis for identifying guidelines to spearhead the transformational leadership. Most people understand that an important part of the educational process is the quality of role model available for students and the young minds. If we fail to provide people who set good examples for the youths, we are failing a large part of the process. The civil servants and adults who committed the offence are failing our youths, and this is a serious problem to our society.