A very good morning to all of you. I would like to acknowledge:
Mr Leon Chan, Acting Director of the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB),
Mr Kadir Maideen Mohamed, Chief Executive Officer of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), and
Our very strong supporters of Dadah itu Haram (DIH), and all the efforts that we have been doing together as a community and society to bring goodness to our lives, our families, as well as those around us.
And to my Muslim friends, Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
1. I am very happy and honoured to join you on this blessed Friday to commemorate World Drug Day together with the launch of the new DIH logo.
2. I am deeply grateful to MUIS and all mosques for their unwavering support of the DIH campaign since its inception in 2017. Your dedication has been instrumental in our ability to reach so many in the Malay/Muslim community, to gather the community’s support for the DIH campaign and garner strong commitment towards the anti-drug message.
3. It’s been some time since our launch, from 2017 to now, and we have made great strides together. I want to thank my CNB and MHA colleagues together with the volunteers from mosques, support groups, and also many other informal groups, all who have consistently given their support. Why do I use the word “consistently”? Because we have been doing this with a few consistent engagements every month. This is not easy, but we still went down to engage the ground together.
4. Today, since the time I started, continuing the good work of Mr Amrin Amin, no one has come to me and said, “don’t waste your time”. People are saying, “yes, this is a good thing to do,” “Thank you for doing this because we need to help to keep our people, especially the young ones safe”. So I am very touched by the support from the community and society, people from all walks of life, and all the different agencies coming together. Without this, we will never be able to be where we are today.
5. My sincere thanks to all of you, and those out there who are not here, for giving us the fullest support. And we want to continue this journey so that we can continue to provide positive lives, a good future to our families and the people around us, as well as to fellow Singaporeans. Thank you to all of you.
Drug Statistics Within the Malay Community
6. Over the last few years, we have observed several notable improvements in the Malay community,
(a) In 2024, the number of new Malay drug offenders arrested was lower compared to pre-pandemic years, reflecting the positive impact of the ongoing community and rehabilitation efforts.
(b) Two-year recidivism rate for Malay offenders fell from 34.1 % among those released in 2010, to 24.7 % for those released in 2020.
7. While we have made significant strides, we recognise that there remains room for further improvement.
(a) From 2021 to 2024, the number of Malay drug offenders has consistently increased each year, with Malay drug offenders continuing to form the largest proportion of drug abusers in 2024.
(b) Additionally, we are concerned about the persistent and troubling trends in youth drug abuse. From 2021 to 2024, Malay youth continue to form the largest proportion of youth drug abusers in Singapore. So we have a lot of work to do. We have to continue the journey.
8. This underscores the importance of consistent and comprehensive support systems. While financial and social safety nets are available to assist former offenders and their families, the daily challenges they face can be complex and enduring.
9. Therefore, the dedicated and sustained effort from a community of volunteers is essential for long-term success. It is important too, to keep the message relevant and to constantly find ways to get the message across to the younger generation.
Reinforcing DIH’s Message / Launch of New DIH Logo
10. To this end, the DIH tagline was refreshed in 2022 with the message, “Ambil Peduli Hadir Di Sisi”, meaning “Show Care, Be There”.
11. While the tagline remains relevant and shall guide the community’s effort, CNB, together with MUIS, had been working on refreshing the DIH logo. Today I am pleased to launch the new DIH logo, which has been given a refreshed look to appeal to our youths.
12. The launch also marks the community’s commitment to the global fight against drug abuse, aligning with the observance of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, also known as “World Drug Day”, observed annually on 26 June.
13. Nonetheless, our message remains the same – to embrace preventive efforts and early interventions as it demonstrates our collective commitment to each other’s well-being and motivates everyone to engage in healthy, drug-free activities.
14. Apart from new banners and standees bearing a refreshed look, new e-posters which contain messages and religious texts with guidance from MUIS will be displayed in mosques around Singapore.
15. I want to thank MUIS for providing us the guidance and also sharing with us your views on this, so that we can reach out to the community as much as possible.
Community Efforts/Initiatives
16. The community, MUIS and mosques have been proactive, stepping forward to drive anti-drug initiatives.
(a) Last year, CNB and MUIS reviewed the DIH campaign – shifting from merely raising awareness, to providing education and training to be peer supporters, offering genuine care and support to individuals and families affected by drug abuse.
(i) When I attended some of these events, parents would come forward to ask what they should do if they know their children are having drug abuse issues, and the CNB officers and our desistors would be there to advise. This is the kind of thing that we want, for people in the community to be able to help one another.
(ii) I think that we have come very far. We have gone past the level where we are just doing talks and raising awareness. We are going to the ground to reach out and make things happen. These issues are real, and we need real, proactive and meaningful solutions. This is the part that touched me – when I saw some of these engagements happen, I knew that this did not happen by chance. It happened because we are working together closely, and what we have garnered together is beyond what we could have achieved without all the trust and hard work we put in.
(b) The next thing I want to thank the MUIS for is the MUIS x CNB grant which was launched in July last year, to support our mosques in their efforts. I commend my CNB colleagues for packaging this, and engaging MUIS to make it not only a viable, but sustainable method, to make it easier for the mosque community to play a part in this. I want to give you some examples:
(i) Masjid Hajjah Rahimabi Kebun Limau organised the Youth Futsal Challenge 2024, uniting families, whilst fostering mutual support and active participation in a pro-social activity that promotes teamwork and community engagement.
(ii) We had also successfully collaborated with Masjid Hasanah for our annual DIH cycling event, which was part of their broader anti-drug awareness campaign which ran from August to December 2024. We have another one happening tomorrow.
(iii) It was inspiring to see more than 100 participants join us for the ride, which I had the honour of leading. The event concluded with an insightful anti-drug sharing by CNB’s enforcement officer, demonstrating our strong community partnership.
(c) We have also received good support from partners and volunteers.
(i) The Fitrah podcast, a joint initiative between MediaCorp Warna 94.2 radio station and Darul Tafsir Centre at Al-Khair Mosque, dedicated four episodes to engage in meaningful discussion into the issues of Singapore’s drug prevention efforts and to drive awareness on the DIH campaign.
(ii) The episodes explored the societal impact of drug abuse, prevention strategies, youth education initiatives and rehabilitation pathways, reinforcing how community involvement is crucial in Singapore’s fight against drugs.
(iii) I also want to thank
• Masjid Sultan, not only for working with us to launch the first DIH event, but also for continuing to support us with the Ramadan “Date Your Loved Ones” campaign launch in Kampung Glam; and
• All of you who have worked with us during Friday prayers or any other platforms – what really touched me was that you were very concerted in doing all these engagements together.
(iv) I am also thankful to the Chairmans of the various mosques, who have showed unwavering support; and the desistors, who have showed strong support and transformed greatly. You have become exemplary elements in our society, and many people look up to you. So this is a nice journey that we have come on together and I hope that we can continue this journey.
(v) It is a wonderful ecosystem that has grown so strong, and we thank Mr Amrin Amin for starting it. It was a very innovative idea to do it, and what we have done is to continue to strengthen it.
Conclusion
17. The Government cannot do this alone, and the message will be stronger if each of us, and together as a community, speak out against drug abuse. Let us look out for one another, be there to support each other, so that we can keep those around us safe from the harms of drugs.
18. Once again, I would like to thank my dear friends from MUIS, Masjid Sultan, and all mosques for the steadfast commitment in helping us amplify the anti-drug message to our community.
19. We thank the Office of the Mufti for repeatedly sharing the anti-drug message in the Friday Prayers and for today as well. This is something that the Office has done to support the campaign, from the start of the campaign.
20. Thank you for your unwavering support, let’s continue to work together in the next phase, so that we can continue to bring goodness to our people, and prevent those that want to harm our community and our society from doing so, while knowing that we are here to support our people. I wish you a great day ahead.
21. Thank you.
