Friski Riana, Jakarta – Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko said he was against the idea voiced by the House of Representatives' (DPR) Law Commission to dissolve the National Narcotics Agency (BNN).

"My advice is not disbanding them, but rather optimizing its roles. If there are weaknesses, just point out which," said Moeldoko at Krida Bhakti Building, Jakarta, Friday, November 22.

He opined that the agency must be strengthened, given the illegal drugs issue was a real threat that must be tackled immediately in the society.

According to him, if the government is weak and lacks such a special body handling the threat, the problem will only get worse.

"In the military, this is a non-traditional threat that must be handled soon. That's a real one," he remarked.

Previously, the House's Law Commission member from the PAN faction, Sarifuddin Sudding, was furious over the performance of the BNN that he deemed lacking breakthroughs in combating narcotics in Indonesia, while the country was already in the state of narcotics emergency and the agency was the leading sector in the country's battle against narcotics.

"We must evaluate this, whether to keep the BNN or merge it with the police," said Sudding during a hearing with the BNN at the Parliament Complex, Thursday, November 21.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1275380/moeldoko-against-idea-to-dissolve-bnn