Kota Kinabalu: The Malaysian Substance Abuse Council (Masac) hopes that the government will consider giving Rahmah Menu coupons to ex-addicts, besides a special budget to Masac to assist former addicts in getting back on their feet and remaining substance-free.“We hope the government will include allocations for this purpose in the 2023 Budget, which will be tabled on Feb 24,” said its President Ahmad Lutfi Abdul Latiff, in a recent statement.
He said the initiative can be led by corporate social responsibility by companies like Mydin, with the government serving as the catalyst for the effort’s success and Masac serving as a strategic partner in its execution at the grassroots level in both rural and urban areas.
“It will take some time for former addicts who have recently served their prison sentence or left the rehabilitation centre to get work because most employers prefer potential employees to be clean of any criminal records,” he said.
He said that the coupon support for ex-addicts for three to six months or more would provide them with the essential food to continue living before acquiring a job.
“This will also reduce the likelihood of former addicts reverting to begging for alms, stealing or engaging in other vices to earn food,” he said.
He also proposed that employers who hire former addicts be granted tax exemptions in order to encourage more employers to hire former addicts.
He said that Masac, which has vast experience in this area, is ready to assist the government in developing this policy in line with the success of Singapore’s Yellow Ribbon Programme.
Additionally, he urged that former addicts who have been clean for five years should have their criminal records erased so that they can easily find work.
“As a non-governmental organisation with dozens of affiliated members and tens of thousands of former addicts alumni, Masac is ready to lead these former addicts along the proper road and ensure they remain clean.
“I thus hope that Masac would be given a special allocation to organise grassroots briefings, programmes and competitions to discourage substance abuse, and to be a collaborative strategic partner with the Ministry of Health and the National Anti-Drug Agency to improve matters involving existing substance abusers,” he said.
He also urged that the government enact specific legislation that would only allow the sale of registered vapes.
He believes that this will help limit the use of prohibited substances, particularly among youngsters, while also generating government revenue through registered vape taxes.
