Dungun, July 7^th – An initiative was taken by The National Anti-Drugs Agency (NADA) in conducting Artificial Coral Propagation Project which was also aspired by NADA’s own General Director, YDH CP Dato’ Sri Zulkifli Bin Abdullah. This project moved parallel with NADA’s Go Green Action Plan 2019-2021 which had launched by YB Tan Sri Dato’ Haji Muhyiddin bin Haji Mohd Yassin, Minister of Home Affairs on 30 April 2019.

Along with that, NADA’s Artificial Coral Propagation Project highlighted the objective to instil the spirit of nature’s preservation among its staffs, the occupants of Pusat Pemulihan Penagihan Narkotik (PUSPEN) and Orang Kena Pengawasan (OKP) as well as local community. Furthermore, this project worked as a working therapy to improve the vocational skills among the OKPs in order to ensure their places in the working industry after the Cure and Care Treatment’s period ends. It also helped in increasing the awareness and involvement of all parties collectively alongside the efforts of preventing drug abuse in high-risk areas especially among the fishermen’s community.

NADA’s Artificial Coral Propagation was a collaboration of NADA itself, Department of Fisheries Malaysia, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), District and Land Offices in Dungun, TM and several NGOs. This project combined two different phases which was started with the First Phase in Pulau Tenggol, Terengganu. An activity of transferring the technology and knowledge from the lectures regarding the making of Artificial Coral Propagation was held thoroughly within the First Phase and it was a teamwork between NADA and IIUM as well as UMT. The Second Phase was initiated by NADA’s staffs together with the state government, Marine Department Malaysia, Department of Fisheries Malaysia and other constitutions in selecting PUSPEN in each state to be used as a workshop base in processing the output of NADA’s Artificial Coral Propagation.

This Artificial Coral Project was seen as a potential to become an effective therapy in the treatment process of the PUSPEN’s occupants and OKPs, alongside the care and cure principle which was “no single treatment is appropriate for everyone”. Besides that, both knowledge and technology sharing process by UMT were capable of inventing a learning syllabus related to this particular skill of creating these artificial corals to allow PUSPEN to act as the supplier of Artificial Coral Propagation to our current market.

NADA’s effort in offering skilful physical labour was also seen as one of the important social support’s components towards PUSPEN’s occupants in maintaining their recovery. Not to forget, the companies’ members which were involved in this project can be excluded from paying tax as written in Income Tax Method.

In conclusion, NADA’s Artificial Coral Propagation played an important role in helping the recovery of drug addicts’ as well as handling the issue of social diversion especially the issue of drug abuse among the fishermen’s community. It was a huge hope for all parties to always be consistent in giving commitment to ensure the flow of this project goes smoothly and continuously.