Govt urged to action GCC recommendations

By JOSHUA ARLO
THE Government has been urged to be responsible and take the lead in eradicating illegal guns in the country as “guns are eating away the meat of society”.
This was the call by the chairman of Guns Control Committee (GCC) Maj-Gen (retired) Jerry Singirok during a gun surrender programme at Baruni Village, outside Port Moresby last Friday.
Mr Singirok called on the Government to start acting on the 244 recommendations in a report submitted by the committee after a nationwide public forum on guns in 2005.
He said the buck stops with the Government because it was not using all its resources to tackle this issue.
The surrender programme at Baruni Village saw over 20 local youths turning in 10 illegal homemade guns to the committee, and witnessed by NCD metropolitan superintendent Fred Yakasa and various officers attached to City Hall chamber of commerce.
Mr Singirok congratulated the youths on the bold step forward, telling them it was not easy to leave a life where they had depended on to survive for years, and urged them to look to more lawful activities to live their life.
He said guns caused problems and not solutions.
He said guns were not a good vocation to be involved in as there are a hundred and one ways to earn an honest living.
He challenged the Government and its Chief Secretary Isaac Lupari to ëstop sitting at Waigani and do something’ as this issue is important to law and order enforcement in the country.
“We have gone to a stage where we have encouraged war lords,” he said.
He said it was time also that law enforcement agencies and the community unite to rid society of guns which were leading to crimes and other related social issues such as HIV/AIDS.
He said the lack of education was also a contributing factor to the high rate of guns-related crimes in society and urged leaders and the Government to come up with more practical solutions for unemployed youths and school drop outs.
Also present was Lae Builders Constructions (LBC) managing director Alex Yani, who was there to support the programme and engage the youths in employment with LBC.