Independent presidential candidate Umar Naseer has pledged to designate an island for drug rehabilitation.
Speaking to PSM News, Lieutenant Colonel (Rtd.) Zubair Ahmed Manik, a member of Umar Naseer's campaign team, said that drug dealers would be sent to rehabilitation within 24 hours of being apprehended, under Umar Naseer's administration. He said that the rehabilitation centre would be on a specific island and that the suspects would undergo training to allow them to escape a life of crime. He added that they would leave the rehabilitation centre with a newfound national and religious zeal.
In his manifesto, Umar has also pledged to establish a system to monitor the supply of drugs to the Maldives and strengthen law enforcement agencies. These pledges are part of his focus on solving drug-related problems at a national level due to their overwhelmingly negative impact on families and communities.
Furthermore, Umar has emphasised that his manifesto is centered on the pivotal goal of liberating the Maldives from the clutches of the drug epidemic. He underscored the necessity for a resolute leader to tackle this challenge head-on, highlighting that regardless of the government's efforts to develop infrastructure such as roads and harbors, the pressing matter of drug abuse remains unaddressed by many politicians.