By : Nor Aini Mohamed 

Rukun Tetangga (RT) is a social organisation under the Department of National Unity and National Development (JPNIN), established in every housing area, which plays a role in helping the government to unite the multiracial society in the country. The main function of the establishment of the KRT is to carry out any activities to enhance and strengthen the spirit of neighbourhood, unity, goodwill, harmony, comfort, peace, cooperation, safety, welfare, health, economic well-being and quality of life among members of the community. In addition, the KRT also needs to take any necessary or appropriate measures to enable residents to protect themselves against any criminal or catastrophic activity. In this regard, KRT is seen to be able to play an important role in helping to address the problem of drug abuse in PPR/PA areas, with the cooperation of NADA officers and assisted by other enforcement agencies. However, each KRT created has its own challenges in carrying out the planned activities, especially those that are specifically designed to address the problem of drug abuse. These challenges include challenges at the level of KRT members themselves as well as at the community level. Therefore, a study to examine the role of KRT in the issue of drug abuse in PPR/PA should be carried out to ensure that KRT can carry out appropriate and effective activities, which in turn can reduce the problem of drug abuse. The community in PPR/PA can live in peace and harmony and the quality of life will be improved. ii) Review of Works; Drug Prevention Programs in the Drug Community are substances or chemicals that are extremely dangerous to individuals who use them because they alter the way the human mind and body function (National Anti-Drug Agency, 2011, Hazman, et al, 2004). The concept of empowerment is appropriate for drug abuse intervention programmes in the community. Empowerment is associated with a naturally helpful system with proactive behaviour and requires practitioners to think in the context of well-being versus disease, competence versus deprivation, and prevention versus treatment.

A fasting element in this empowerment theory is the process of individual participation in which they work together to improve the quality of life in the community (Peterson & Speer, 2000). Although there are drug abuse prevention activities that have successfully attracted community participation, the factors that drive such participation and their relationship to empowerment in the community still require in-depth scrutiny by researchers.

The effectiveness of drug abuse prevention programmes and activities implemented in targeted communities will increase compared to programmes and activities implemented in general. This is supported by Groff, Weisburd, and Yang (2017) stating that crime tends to be concentrated in 'hot spots' and efforts to combat crime by area are effective. The explanation of the results of this study is based on the 'routine activity theory' which explains how the patent of human behavior leads to the determination to focus on certain locations, where individuals who commit crimes and victims of crime gather (Sherman, Gartin, and Buerger 1989; Cohen and Felson 1979). The Role of KRT in Dealing with Drug Abuse in PPR/PA As of July 2019, there are 1066 Rukun Tetangga in the state of Selangor. (Department of National Unity and National Integration, 2019).

In 2016, the Rukun Tetangga Transformation Model was launched with the goal of implementing programmes and activities based on five thrusts, namely unity, economy, security, education and quality of life. KRT is made up of a group of members in the community who have varied educational backgrounds, socio-economic status, culture and beliefs. The positions in the KRT are Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Treasurer, SRS Patrol Chief, Female Neighbours Chairman, Young Neighbours Chairman, Golden Age Neighbours Chairman and several members of the Committee. The success of a group is highly dependent on how the leader contributes to team effectiveness.

In terms of drug abuse prevention, the Young Neighbours Chairman needs to play a very important role in creating a conducive social environment, especially for teenagers from being trapped by unhealthy activities such as drug addiction. A study by Rozmi et al (2017) found that the domain of social environmental factors is very important in understanding the involvement of adolescents in substance abuse and needs to be paid attention to in designing and building prevention programs. The publication of this study suggests that any policy or development of substance abuse prevention modules among adolescents should focus on reducing risks in social environmental factors such as school conditions and unconducive community factors. According to Sabri (2016), this neighbourhood activity can be a medium to convey positive messages to create a more harmonious relationship at the regional or grassroots level, and the country in general, as well as to prevent the occurrence of crime incidents in the local area.

The community activities carried out by KRT relatively generate community participation regardless of social class. It aims to strengthen community groups in the neighbourhood that are able to convey the closeness and integrity of the bond of unity among them (Meor, 2010). Communities with a strong foundation of neighbourhood are able to build a spirit of cooperation to create a healthy and comfortable community to live in. Therefore, the drug abuse prevention programs and activities implemented by the KRT will be able to attract participation from all community members. However, the programme needs to be well planned and this requires KRT members who are committed and competent in every aspect of programme planning and implementation. In addition, it is very important that KRT members are given appropriate training.

Einstein (1974) has listed the areas of knowledge that community members need in combating drug abuse are; 1) Information about drugs, 2) The role of the community in drug rehabilitation treatment, 3) Attitudes and practices towards drugs by drug addicts, 4) Education about community life between drug addicts and non-addicts, 5) Handling of early cases of drug abuse discovery, and 6) Understanding of culture and religion. Boyatzis (2008) has listed three factors that contribute to the effectiveness in performing tasks, iattu individual competence, task requirements and organizational environment. In a voluntary organization, the emphasis is on individual competence. According to Williams (2008), individual competencies include motives, personal characteristics, personal image, social roles, skills and knowledge that indicate an individual is capable of performing tasks. In addition, the role of social media is also very important in voluntary organizations (Zorn, Grant and Henderson, 2013) especially to attract the attention of young people. Competence in social media must also be mastered by KRT members in ensuring the effectiveness of every drug abuse prevention programme and activity implemented. Low-cost housing is often associated with a variety of economic and social problems, prompting people to perceive low-cost houses and their environment as unconducive to living in. Not everyone can afford to have a perfect home that has enough space, complete facilities, safe and clean. Many choose to live in low-cost homes, especially those who live in big cities. The reason for affordability and accessibility makes low-cost housing especially compact and crowded flats, in addition to competition for the use of public space and facilities. However, what is more worrying nowadays is that the PPR area is included in the red zone of drug abuse areas.

Date of Input: 20/12/2024 | Updated: 20/01/2026 | nm_aini