The home minister should call for a discussion involving politicians from across the divide as well as NGOs to find a solution to the drug menace faced by the country, said opposition leader Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail today.

In light of the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah tahfiz school fire, where some of the arsonists were allegedly high on drugs, she noted authorities should not only concentrate on the seven youths, but the ills that lie beyond the incident.

"First of all, kudos to the police and the fire department for solving the case fast, and it is now up to the judiciary to determine who is guilty, and pass sentences befitting the crime.

“We also appreciate the staff of the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (which treated survivors and handled the remains of the deceased), and all the other parties who assisted,” she said in a statement.

Wan Azizah added, however, that several worrying questions have arisen following the arrest of the suspects.

“First, all of them were school dropouts.

"Secondly, and this a more serious concern – the abuse of drugs. Drugs have penetrated every nook and cranny of the country now. Every family has a relative or knows someone who is involved in drugs.

“The number of drug addicts, especially among the Malays and Indians, goes up to the hundreds of thousands,” she noted.

It was reported that out of the seven suspects – aged between 11 and 18 – who allegedly started the fire that killed 23 last Thursday, six tested positive for drugs.

Despite the stringent laws that deal with drug-related crimes in the country, Wan Azizah expressed concern about the easy availability of drugs.

"Addicts and dealers are often caught but we hardly hear the ‘big fish’ behind the syndicates being arrested.

“The police have even acted against their own Narcotics Department (officers, for reportedly being in league with dealers)…” she said.

This made it crucial, she added, for Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to engage the relevant stakeholders to immediately discuss steps to handle the drugs scourge, which includes opposition politicians.

"Discuss the root cause of increasing crime in the country, that is drug abuse."