It is gratifying that our festering social problems are finally getting our leaders' attention. Unfortunately, ministerial missives and commands are not magic wands. Merely wishing does not make it so.

The signs of our social decay are obvious - escalating dropout rates, drug addiction, bohsia and the latest, the obsession with cults. We are fortunate to be spared the added problems of alcohol abuse and unrestricted firearms, lethal combination that bedevils America's inner cities.

Further, unlike many Third World countries where such problems are aggravated by widespread poverty, we are fortunate that our economy permits us to commit the necessary resources to solving them.

Despite the widespread blight, there is sadly little scientific research. Is lepak confined to children of the poor? What are the risk factors and how widespread is it? Likewise with our dropouts; why are our schools not attractive to them? We lack empirical data on these and other social problems.

There is a danger that in our frustration we resort to shortsighted, expensive and gimmicky remedies. Already there are shrill calls for the religious department to tackle these complex and difficult problems when there is no assurance that it has the personnel or expertise.

More recently, the prime minister threatened to cut off special privileges to punish Malay students for their rebelliousness. Such angry outbursts reflect ignorance and frustration.

I am equally skeptical on the merit of national service. It is nave to think that simply marching our youths under the blazing sun would somehow make them stop taking drugs and become better citizens. We already have Rakan Muda (Friends of Youth), and no one has yet analysed its effectiveness.

Creature comforts

Neither religion nor national service is a panacea for what ails us. What we need are solutions based on solid research, not political stunts. We must be supportive, not punitive. We must identify those at risk and intervene early.

It is not incidental that these problems occur when we are undergoing rapid urbanisation. Like urban dwellers everywhere, we are ripped from the secure and comfortable moorings of our traditions and left adrift.

The mass exodus of balik kampong during festive seasons attests to the lack of social bonding in our cities. As Malays were primarily rural dwellers initially, it is not surprising that these ills affect us disproportionately. We have no particular weakness for these maladies.

We can do much to reduce urbanisation and the consequent social dislocations. First, we can make our kampong s more urban-like in terms of creature comforts, by providing electricity and piped water.

We can transfer some agencies (especially those dealing with rural problems) to small towns so the incremental cost of developing the surrounding villages are reduced. There is no reason by Mara cannot be in Mersing, and Petronas in Kertih, where the oil is.

Second, we can replicate the supportive psycho-social milieu of the kampong in our urban communities. Presently our cities are perfect incubators for dysfunctional behaviors. In the kampong s, as Lat's cartoons so perceptively portray, we have rivers to swim, coconut trees to climb, and shady trails for bicycling.

What's a city youth to do? Climb telephone poles and fly kites in the streets? In the village, with its system of extended families, a wayward youth gets an uncle's early reproach; a forlorn child, a grandparent's indulgence. Pity the urban kid!

Ready commonality

In America, municipalities organise numerous recreational activities: little league teams, swimming lessons, arts and craft classes. These subsidised and highly affordable programs provide healthy outlets for youths' bountiful energy. Dewan Bandaraya should institute similar ventures.

As in the village, we should provide each housing complex with its own school, clinic, recreational area, and surau . I would also add pools and air-conditioned libraries.

Encourage, with appropriate inducements, policemen, teachers, imams and other authority figures to live in these complexes. Their presence would deter anti-social behavior early.

We should experiment in our rumah pangsa with different groupings. Thus families from the same state or department, or have children of similar ages could share the same floor. This ready commonality would accelerate community bonding and provide a pseudo extended family environment, just like in the village.

Visit an American suburb in the weekend and you see the entire community involved in sports and social events. Our Bandaraya can organise leagues and encourage athletic and other competitions between housing complexes to enhance community spirit.

Expensive remedies? It would cost more if these children become drug addicts, criminals, and non-productive citizens.

Our public housing projects are blighted with broken lifts, smashed windows, and stagnant drains; a general sense of no one in charge, an air of abandonment. Law enforcement officers are familiar with this 'broken window syndrome,' that is, minor vandalism if unattended invites more serious crimes.

Currently these tenements have remote management. We should decentralise and make each complex independently managed; a penghulu for every complex. Indeed, a caretaker on every floor. California has a law requiring an onsite manager for any complex with more than five units.

De-emphasise rituals

These social aspects of urban living are important. We must reduce the sense of anomie and alienation, and not be satisfied with merely providing physical dwellings for our citizens.

Solving our massive social problems require an extraordinary commitment of resources, resolve, and patience. We must be open to new ideas. We must be willing to eliminate ineffective programs quickly before they acquire entrenched constituencies.

Our housing estates must set aside common areas. In California, builders are required to commit a portion of their projects for community use. Further, each home is assessed 'impact fees' to finance these public facilities. Enlightened developers are discovering that investing in these common areas enhances the value of their developments.

Our religious department must reformulate its mission; from enforcer to healer; from instilling the fear of God to inspiring the love of God. To quote an Islamic scholar, we must present the 'sweeter side' of Islam.

We must de-emphasise rituals, catechisms, and the accumulation of religious 'brownie points.' We must substitute huge impersonal mosques for small neighborhood ones, where the ummah can relate better with one another. Involve our mosques in secular activities relevant to the community. I envisage for example, computers at our mosques to attract the young.

Our police must deal aggressively with drug addicts. Let's follow America's example in using the military for drug interdiction. Unless we cut the inflow of drugs, all our other efforts would be futile. The British nearly succeeded in destroying the Chinese civilisation by bringing in cheap opium.

I am wary of officials who profess to have all the answers, and ambitious politicians drum-beating their pet projects. Such certitude raises unreasonable expectations. More disturbingly, such cockiness reflects a lack of appreciation of the gravity and subtlety of the problems