THE Home Ministry is planning to table amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act (Poca) in next year’s Parliament session, says Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah.
The Deputy Home Minister said the proposed amendments were necessary following the Federal Court’s April 2022 decision, which ruled that Sections 4 and 15B of Poca were unconstitutional.
In response to the court’s decision, he said the Home Ministry conducted several engagement sessions with stakeholders and presented the proposed amendments to the Cabinet on Dec 13, 2023, where it was approved.
A special stakeholder engagement session in February 2024, involving the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform), the Minister of Digital Communications, government officials, MPs and representatives from non-governmental organisations, further refined the proposals, he added.
Following feedback from these sessions, he said a subsequent workshop was held in March to review suggestions and address stakeholder concerns with the outcomes, then presented to the Home Minister in April.
“The Home Minister subsequently directed additional engagement sessions with relevant ministers before submitting the revised memorandum for Cabinet approval.
“These discussions and meetings have been crucial in shaping alternative proposals for the amendments.
“If the next round of stakeholder engagements yields positive feedback, the amendments to Poca will be tabled in the first session of the fourth term of the 15th Parliament,” Shamsul Anuar told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
He also reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to ensuring that the amendments address constitutional concerns while maintaining the Act’s role in safeguarding national security and public safety.Meanwhile, Shamsul Anuar said the dominance of synthetic drugs such as Amphetamine-Type Stimulants (ATS) in the local market posed a challenge to the Home Ministry in eradicating drug abuse.
He said the shift in drug trends, particularly toward synthetic substances, has made it increasingly difficult for enforcement agencies like the police and the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) to combat the issue.
“One of the main reasons drug abuse remains difficult to control is due to the shift from organic drugs to synthetic ones, which presents a significant challenge,” he said during the parliamentary question-and-answer session yesterday.
According to statistics, 115,410 individuals, or 70.4%, of drug users up to September of this year were involved with ATS, while cannabis abuse accounted for just 4%, or 6,750 users, he said.
Shamsul Anuar was responding to a supplementary question from Datuk Mohd Isam Mohd Isa (BN-Tampin), who sought clarification on why decades of efforts by the ministry and related agencies to combat drug abuse appeared unsuccessful.
Earlier, in response to a question from Datuk Awang Hashim (PN-Pendang) regarding drug abuse cases in Kedah, Shamsul Anuar said there is a worrying rise in the state.
Between January and August this year, he said Kedah recorded 17,278 drug-related cases, a 17.3% increase compared to the total of 14,284 cases in 2023.
Additionally, 5,960 individuals in Kedah underwent institutional rehabilitation and treatment under AADK between January and September this year.
He also stressed the importance of continued collaboration between agencies to address the evolving nature of drug abuse and to develop effective strategies against synthetic drug distribution and use.
