BismillahHirRahmanNirRahim. Assalamu alaikum w.b.t.
May God's Blessings of Peace be with you, your family and all at ASOD.
Excellencies & Colleagues
Like Mr. Gary Lewis, the UNODC Representative, I also seek your indulgence to make my Presentation standing up.
I believe in the guiding principles of 3-UPS for after heavy lunch sessions: 1.) Stand-up to be seen; 2.) Speak-up to be heard
and more importantly 3.) Shut-up to be appreciated.
I also wish to take this opportunity to wish all Brothers & Sisters Eid Mubarak Aidil Fitri
SELAMAT HARI RAYA PUASA. MA'AF ZAHIR & BATIN.
Muslims have just completed observance of one month of fasting during the Holy Month of Ramadhan and
as we celebrate we are mindful that it is also a season for seeking forgiveness and atonement.
I therefore seek your forgiveness and indulgence for all my mistakes and excesses. MA'AF ZAHIR & BATIN!
Excellencies & Colleagues
My signature tune is Laugh therapy. With respect may I request all present to rise and join me in 10 seconds of Laugh Therapy.
Laugh for Health and Happiness. The Chinese say: "ONE HEARTY LAUGH RESOLVES ONE THOUSAND WORRIES"
On that very happy note, on behalf of my colleagues, Dato' Haji Juma'at bin Dato Mohd Nor, Haji Hamzah Sidang Mohamed,
we record grateful thanks and sincere appreciation to our gracious hosts, the Government of Cambodia and
H.E. Gen. Moek Dara, NACD and staff for the very kind hospitality and this precious opportunity to visit Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
IFNGO ASEAN NGO is a nucleus of IFNGO. It has a distinct ASEAN entity with ASEAN NGO identity. It is not foreign to ASEAN and certainly not alien.
We are very proud to state that like you, we served previous ASEAN DRUG EXPERTS MEETINGS and the subsequent, succeeding ASODs when we were in Government Service. Likewise, Tan Sri Gen. Chavalit Yodmani, Khun Sorasit Sangprasert, ASPAC NGO Thailand, Gen. Dr. Haji H. Hadiman, BERSAMA Indonesia, Mr. Poh Geok Ek, SANA Singapore, Datin Hajah Masni binti Haji Mohd Ali, BASMIDA Brunei Darussalam have all served ASOD. Y.Bhg. Datin Hajah Masni binti Haji Mohd Ali now serves as the World President of IFNGO and concurrently Chairman of IFNGO ASEAN N.G.O.s.
We pray that when you retire from government service your Anti Drug fervour will continue to burn in your hearts and that you will volunteer your services and join the ranks of IFNGO ASEAN N.G.O.s
IFNGO ASEAN N.G.O. is your willing and natural partner to increase and enhance partnership between public and private sectors and civil society in the joint fight to prevent the drug scourge and drug addiction. We therefore appeal for inclusiveness as Government of the People, for the People and by the people in totality include us.
I wish to formally table the following documents for information and records:
1. Recommendations of the 18th IFNGO ASEAN NGOs Workshop, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, 2008
organized and hosted by PEMADAM Malaysia.
2. Recommendations of the 23rd IFNGO WORLD CONFERENCE, Jerudong, BRUNEI DARUSSALAM, 2009
organized and hosted by BASMIDA Brunei Darussalam.
3. Summary Global Report and Recommendations of NGO Consultations for "BEYOND 2008" -
NGO Contributing to Drug Policy and Practice Worldwide.
3 copies of the Report in Book Form has been presented to H.E. Gen. Moek Dara, Chairman of 30th ASOD, Mr. Abdul Aziz Othman, Chairman of 29TH ASOD, Brunei Darussalam and Chairman of 31st ASOD Indonesia.
Permit me to formally invite your Excellencies and ASOD Colleagues Insy Allah to participate and be involved in the following 3 IFNGO ASEAN N.G.O.s
forthcoming events:
1. 19TH IFNGO ASEAN NGO.s WORKSHOP to be hosted and organized by PHILCADSA Philippines in Manila September, 2010.
2. 24th IFNGO WORLD CONFERENCE to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 6th - 9th November, 2011
concurrrently to Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the establishment of IFNGO in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
3. 20TH IFNGO ASEAN NGOs WORKSHOP to be hosted and organized by BERSAMA Indonesia in the year 2012.
IFNGO ASEAN NGOs have always reiterated that in the fight against drugs we should not allow the sinister and cynical statement to gain validity:
that is "MEN TEND TO FIGHT MEN RATHER THAN FIGHT THE DRUG PROBLEM THAT CHALLENGE THEM"
In conclusion let me share with you my favourite story: A student wanted to prove to his school mates that he was smarter than the teacher.
So one day he caught a bird held it in his fist and in front of the class asked the teacher.
"Teacher, Teacher I have a bird in my hand. Is it dead or alive?" Expecting that if the teacher said dead, he would open his fist to release the bird. If the Teacher said alive, he would squeeze the bird to death proving that the teacher was wrong either way.
However, he did not reckon that the teacher had eaten more salt than he had eaten rice. The teacher replied,
"I do not know whether the bird is dead or alive but one thing that I do know and that is: the future of the bird is in your hands."
Excellencies, My dear ASOD Colleagues ASEAN DRUG-FREE 2015 is in your hands!
Wabillahi Taufik WalHidayah. Assalamu alaikum w.b.t. Thank you.
[Dato' (Dr.) Haji Mustapha Ma] Hon. Secretary IFNGO concurrently Hon. Secretary IFNGO ASEAN N.G.O.s
Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 30th September, 2009.
