Buai ban starts tomorrow Source: Post Courier By KEVIN TEME There will be no more sale of betel nut in the city of Port Moresby starting tomorrow. NCD Governor Powes Parkop, despite receiving petitions to stop the ban by various groups of people including the Mekeo people in Central Province and city residents, has stood firm on his decision for the betelnut ban starting tomorrow. “There won’t be any more excuses for the city residents. Enough time was given and 1st October is the time when all the betel nut sale and chewing in the public places must be stopped,” Mr Parkop said this during his speech in Aiepeana village in Mekeo, Central Province. The governor also received a petition and submission by the Aipeana village on behalf of the 30,000 people of Mekeo district to lift the ban and allow avenues or give time for them to come up with better alternatives. The governor has assured the Central people however that he strongly stands firm that the betelnut ban will go ahead. “Many of the points given by the Mekeo people are good and we will definitely consider them. We are already cooperating with Central Provincial Government and Gulf Provincial Government to address the immediate and long terms issues,” he said. “We will definitely formulate a long term plan that will include better trading facilities and conditions for trading, assisting producers to sell overseas, packaging the nuts so that we dispose of the husk properly, utilising the husk with coconuts husk to create rope and mattress etc.” “All these medium to long term plans will be considered and implemented once proven to be viable but for now we must deal with the situation at hand and that is why we must relocate the selling of betelnuts outside the city boundary. I will now put a Committee together comprising people from NCDC to work with Central Provincial Government and Gulf Provincial Government to work on this long term plans.” Mr Parkop said the ban will go ahead but they will not start implementing the penalties as yet. “We will go into intense awareness as requested by our Mekeo people and then start imposing the penalties at the end of October. But for the city residents, it will not be an excuse. “We will publish the law and invite any objection to them to be made within 14 days to ensure the law is gazetted in the National Gazette, especially the declaration and enforcement and exemption powers,” he said. “We will start enforcing the no spitting and littering in public place aspect of the law as soon as possible, and will ensure the markets are Agavairu ( Hisiu), Rubirogo, Sabusa, Laloki and hopefully Gaire are all built and ready by end of October. “We will announce a long term plan for control and trading of betel nut into the future, including the conditions by which we may consider allowing trading to be reintroduced into the city. “We need a win-win solution. The status quo is a win for sellers and chewers and a big loss for the City. “The whole of south East Asia had gone through this challenge and reached a win -win outcome. It is now our turns to achieve a win -win for the nation and our people. Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Taiwan, Bangladesh, India and whole of Asia had this same problem we have and have resolved it in a way that ensures highest standard of hygiene and health of their people with the producers, vendors having a roaring business and chewers enjoying the nuts. “We can achieve the same outcome and I am determined that we all aim for and achieve that same outcome. The status quo must not continue.”
Posted on: Mon, 30 Sep 2013 08:09:09 +0000
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