|
Headlines
|
|
Written by Cladia Smith & F. Shelton Gonkerwon
|
|
Thursday, 10 January 2013 00:25 |
The lead Director of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Anthony Souh has maintained that his administration would seek to introduce a system that conforms to international best practice as far as the fight against drug is concerned. Souh said if Liberia is to gain desired social sanity in line with the expectation of the international community all required preventive measures must be honored and applied by the Liberian society. Souh said the cardinal component of drug enforcement all over the world is Drug Demand Reduction whose success according to him depends on the necessary legal frame work that serves as impetus. He said substance test remains one of the basic requirements in drug demand reduction.
Souh said he was making these remarks on the basis professional ethics as it relates to the global fight against drug. He said if the society must succeed in becoming a drug free unit, its people should learn to be free of drug. He denied only targeting government officials for such test as is being misconstrued in many circles. Souh noted that based on his official functions as DEA director he finds himself compellingly obligated to satisfy his patriotic conscience firstly as a citizen, secondly as a processed law enforcement officer with wide range of training, thirdly the oath he took to transform DEA and make it acceptable by the international community and fourthly to meet the expectation of the President Madam Sirleaf who preferred him for the job.
Souh further went on to say that the fight against drug is not a child’s play, nor a soccer match, but a fight that requires being straight forward, brave and trustworthy. He vowed to remain in tone with the oath he took to do just what it requires to save the future of the nation from being infested with drug. The DEA boss made the clarification yesterday in his Sinkor office in Monrovia when our reporters sought further explanation on his much pronounced recommendation regarding drug test.
He told our reporter that DEA’s interest as required by law is to fight drug and set the basis whereby the demand for drug would be reduced. He is of the strong conviction that the government of Liberia would brace the effort of his Agency including ensuring that the necessary legal frame work is made available to harness the operation of the entity. His stressed legal frame work as the only best alternative mechanism that could prevent and protect the nation and people from being totally infested by drug. Souh confidently surmised that drug traffickers, users and all associates concerned would eventually bow when drug law is passed something he said would benefit the society in its endeavors to attain a compliant status. On the strength and weakness of DEA he said the lack of adequate legal instrument, logistical support, trained manpower among other things were hampering the effectiveness of the entity. He expressed the hope of winning international support in the fight against drug. |
