Thursday, 10 September 2026
MEDAN | INDATANEWS.COM - The Medan City chapter of the Lembaga Anti Narkotika (LAN) has called on the Medan City Government to conduct a comprehensive review of its employee recruitment, supervision, and monitoring systems. The call follows the arrest of a suspected head of a local administrative unit (Kepling), identified by the initials FAP, in Medan Maimun District by the Medan Police Narcotics Investigation Unit in connection with an alleged narcotics offense.
LAN stressed that the arrest should not be viewed by the city administration merely as an individual disciplinary matter. The involvement of a government employee in a narcotics offense is a serious warning sign for the integrity of the bureaucracy. The incident, LAN said, should prompt the city government to review and strengthen its oversight system, from the lowest levels of administration to various organizational units within the municipal government.LAN Medan Chairman Ariffani, SH, MH, urged Medan Mayor Rico Waas to use the case as an opportunity to strengthen internal supervision of all city government employees.
"This is a clear alarm signal for the mayor! This is not merely an isolated case. It is a serious warning for the Medan mayor. If city government employees are repeatedly involved in drug cases, the response cannot be limited to dismissing or prosecuting the individuals concerned. The system must be reviewed and comprehensively evaluated! How are recruitment, selection, appointment, supervision, and monitoring carried out for Kepling, Lurah, Camat, and heads of government organizational units?" Ariffani said in an official statement on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.According to Ariffani, the city government must investigate possible systemic weaknesses if similar cases continue to occur. Imposing sanctions on individual employees alone is not sufficient. The government must also identify gaps that could allow civil servants or other government personnel to become involved in narcotics abuse.
He compared the situation to cleaning a floor. Ariffani said the government should not merely remove visible dirt but must also identify the source that allowed the dirt to enter the system in the first place, so the problem does not recur.Ariffani emphasized that holding public office or having close ties to political decision-makers must never become grounds for different treatment. The government, he said, must consistently enforce the applicable rules against all employees.
"There must be no special treatment simply because someone holds a position or has connections to those in power. Narcotics are an enemy of society and have no place in government," Ariffani said.In addition to taking action against individuals proven to have violated the law, LAN is also calling on the Medan City Government to review its employee recruitment and selection mechanisms, particularly for the positions of Kepling, Lurah, and Camat.
According to LAN, appointments to public positions should take into account integrity, leadership record and conduct, professional competence, and transparent administrative requirements. The city government must also strengthen its monitoring mechanisms and ensure that drug testing is conducted in accordance with applicable laws and regulations."Public office is not a political gift and is not a place to accommodate someone. Public office is a mandate and a responsibility to society," Ariffani stressed.
LAN believes that the selection process for government employees should serve as the first line of defense in preventing people with serious drug-related problems from entering the government structure. Therefore, oversight must not end once a person has been appointed to a position.
To strengthen oversight, LAN has urged the Medan City Government to work with the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) and law enforcement authorities to conduct regular and unannounced drug tests.
According to LAN, the inspections should cover all levels of the administration, from heads of government organizational units and Camat and Lurah officials to Kepling. The measure is considered important to create a bureaucratic environment that clearly commits to combating narcotics.LAN also recommends using hair analysis as a complementary method alongside urine tests. According to the organization, hair testing can help identify exposure to narcotics over a longer period than urine testing.
In addition to testing, LAN has proposed establishing a movement called "PEMKO MEDAN BERSINAR," or "Clean from Narcotics." The program, LAN said, should be more than a slogan and must be supported by clear indicators and concrete work programs.LAN wants the program to involve the Medan City Government, BNN, Medan Police, educational institutions, community leaders, and civil society organizations. The program could cover prevention, early detection, rehabilitation, and firm action against violations.
LAN also warned the Medan City Government against placing the blame solely on the public if drug-related problems re-emerge within the government environment. Ariffani said the regional government bears significant responsibility for creating a clean bureaucracy while also building a social environment capable of preventing drug abuse."If cases like these continue to occur, we cannot simply say that they are the misconduct of individuals. The question is: Are our selection and monitoring systems really working properly? When problems occur repeatedly, it is already a WARNING for governance," Ariffani said emphatically.
LAN also called for mechanisms that would allow the public to participate in monitoring and report suspected drug abuse within the government administration. However, such a mechanism must operate while respecting the presumption of innocence and allowing sufficient room for legal procedures to verify every allegation.According to LAN, efforts to combat narcotics must not stop with users or individuals who are directly arrested. Investigators must trace the origin of the narcotics and identify those involved throughout the distribution chain.
"We fully support the authorities in uncovering the drug network down to its roots. The investigation must not stop with those caught on the ground. If there is a network, the network must be exposed. If there are suppliers, they must be pursued. If there are people providing protection, they must be held accountable under the law," Ariffani said in closing.According to LAN, fully exposing the network is important to prevent the further spread of drug trafficking. Authorities must take action against those who supply and distribute narcotics and investigate the possible involvement of other individuals if the findings of the investigation provide relevant indications.
Ariffani also urged the Medan City Government to strengthen its prevention policies by allocating adequate budgetary resources. In his view, efforts to combat narcotics will not be optimal if the government relies solely on law enforcement without expanding prevention initiatives and programs aimed at empowering the community.LAN has called on the Medan City Government to measurably increase allocations from the Regional Budget (APBD) for narcotics prevention and counter-narcotics programs. According to LAN, young people and the wider community should be given particular attention because they play an important role in creating a drug-free environment.
"We cannot talk about a war against narcotics while funding for prevention and community empowerment remains limited. We want Medan to actually be free from narcotics, not merely appear 'BERSINAR' on banners," he stressed.LAN hopes that the arrest of the suspected Kepling will serve as a momentum for the Medan City Government to strengthen governance, tighten oversight of its employees, and establish a sustainable drug prevention system. Through these measures, the government is expected not only to respond after violations occur but also to reduce as much as possible the opportunities for drug abuse to take root within the bureaucracy. (IDNC)
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