‘Moresby dangerous’ tag slammed

By Malum Nalu
Port Moresby is not as dangerous as what people perceive it to be and is not one of the worst cities in the world, Tourism Promotion Authority chief executive officer Jerry Agus says.
Commenting on a recent ranking by the Economist Intelligence Unit disparaging Port Moresby as one of the “10 worst cities to live in the world in 2017”,  Agus said:  “I think that there are far worse cities in the world than Port Moresby.
“Port Moresby is not as dangerous as what people perceive it to be.
“You can’t be shot at Jackson Airport.
“Upon arrival, there are no domestic terrorists moving around.
“It’s just that we get alot of negative stories out to the media all the time. Sometimes there’s some truth in it, sometimes it’s a bit of an exaggeration but if we continue to get negative stories out there on a regular basis, then it appears that that place is very dangerous.”
A report released last month ranked Port Moresby 140th of the “most – and least – liveable cities in the world”.
With the Apec meeting only a year away and Port Moresby hosting it, the index ranked cities worldwide by how “liveable” they were, awarding them points out of 100 according to stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.
Port Moresby was ranked fifth with 39.6 out of 100 points, scoring lowest in terms of stability (just 30 points), but earned a higher percentage for education (50) and culture and environment (47).
Agus appealed to everyone to embrace Port Moresby as their city as “all of us spend most of our time in Port Moresby, we don’t go home. We have to take Port Moresby as our home”.
“We have to look after the city as well,” he said.