Study the problem before giving a solution

I read these two statements recently:

(i) We should impose a curfew on teenagers below 18 to control youth delinquency, and

(ii) We should continue imposing the death penalty on drug traffickers to win the war on drugs.

On the surface, it would appear that these are eloquent solutions to the respective problems. But have we really thought through our problems and solutions? Do we really know the primary causes of youth delinquency and the endemic drug abuse in this country? How do we know that imposing a curfew on youngsters and maintaining the capital punishment on drug traffickers will solve our problems?

It looks like we may just be dispensing piecemeal, simplistic and flash-in-the-pan solutions to problems that we know very little about. It is rare that a major problem is due to a single cause, or for a complex problem to have a simple solution. It’s time to think holistically and take a multi-pronged approach.

Maybe a curfew on teens is necessary, but it should be considered along with other measures as well. Likewise with the death penalty for drug trafficking. Over the last 50 years, the death penalty does not appear to have made much of a dent in drug abuse. On the contrary, the problem has become more endemic and protracted.

Perhaps it is time for us to consider other measures as well. What about parents taking a greater interest in the whereabouts of their teenage children after midnight? What about enforcement agencies taking a sterner look at all the hangouts where teenagers congregate? What about stricter control of substances that are available to teenagers?

On drug trafficking, why have our borders become so porous? If large quantities of drugs are seized from time to time, it could also mean that larger quantities have slipped through undetected.

If drugs are readily available, we probably need to ask serious questions of our enforcement agencies. Is this an issue with efficiency, competency or integrity? To me, it is probably a combination of the above.

I am no expert on youth delinquency or drug trafficking. I just want the authorities and ministers to study and think through the problems that we face. We need comprehensive and enduring solutions. Sometimes, I think ministers are not really doing enough to earn their salaries.

TK Chua is an FMT reader.