Opposition Member of Parliament Faiyaz Koya has assured government of full bipartisan support in the national fight against drugs, stressing the importance of empowering the Counter-Narcotics Bureau to carry out its mandate.

While responding to a ministerial statement by Minister for Policing Ioane Naivalarua, Koya says the Bureau must remain independent, free of fear or favour, and strengthened to effectively tackle what he described as a scourge on Fiji’s society.

The Opposition MP states that Fiji’s drug crisis poses a formidable challenge, but emphasises that the nation has the support of development partners and international organisations, including the United Nations.

He stresses that while enforcement and international engagement are vital, laws must also be strengthened to give judges and magistrates the tools they need to hand down effective sentences that deter offenders.

“One of the most important tools that any judge or magistrate will have will be the laws that we put in place and I think we have to, and there’s a whole lot of support on this side of the house, ensure that the laws are perfect so we can rid this scourge from our society, Honorable Speaker, and it is the judges and the magistrates that need to be empowered to be able to sentence, sentence in a manner that will be preventative to anybody that even remotely thinks about getting into that particular area.”

Koya also raised concern about aftercare and rehabilitation, stating that institutions like St. Giles Hospital are struggling with limited capacity to deal with the growing number of drug-related cases.

Despite recent arrests of officers within the Counter-Narcotics Bureau, Koya says this demonstrates the system was working by holding its own members accountable.

He is urging for stronger governance and oversight to strengthen the Bureau’s work further.

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