Laws are there to be followed

UNDER the Lukautim Pikinini Act, those who engage children to sell items on the street can be fined up to K10,000.
The Act protects and promotes the rights and wellbeing, generally, of all children regardless of race, nationality, or sex.
While we commend those in authority for putting together this Act, our concern is on the actual enforcement of it and many others that have already been made.
We have many laws in this country. Our lawmakers are pretty good at coming up with new laws. People know that.
The issue is enforcement which can be due to resources or the willpower.
Take, for exampole, the law against chewing betel nut in public places.
NCD Governor Powes Parkop raised his concern that while Parliament can make laws, we have been weak in our enforcement of those laws. In his words: “We can pass laws but it all comes back to enforcement and that’s a weakest link in every law in PNG.”
Last April, Parliament passed the amended bill to regulate and control the licensing and use of firearms, with fines ranging between K10,000 and K20,000 and prison term of 10 years.
The police minister said the laws were changed to make it harsher and it was now up to police to follow through so that we can reduce crime.
While we support the aim to regulate and control the licensing and use of firearms, we have been concerned with the effectiveness of its enforcement, or the lack of it. The public trust in the justice system has been eroded, and the country’s significant crime problem worsened by brutal responses from police against those they suspect of having committed offences, and the routine violence, abuse and rape carried out by police against persons, including children, within their custody.
Many incidents are cases of opportunistic abuses of power by those in authority instead of following official processes. While a number of measures have been assembled in order to improve conditions and processes, their success has been hampered by a severe lack of implementation, insufficient resources, and failure to impose appropriate penalties on authorities for failure to adhere to their provisions.
Many claim some laws were outdated. But the question remains: Is the public feeling the impact of any law when it comes to enforcement?
The same is for traffic laws, consuming alcohol in public, noise pollution, illegal parking, overloading of passengers on boats and the list goes in.
Risks of corruption are reduced when policies, laws, guidelines, rules, rights and duties are clearly defined, implemented and enforced. Some may view the move to enforce laws as dictatorial otherwise these laws end up being window dressing only.
Singapore is a shining example. Once criticised for its dictatorial government and strict laws, today this small little island state with no oil, minerals, and other such resources is the envy of all.
And on the east, we have Fiji which does not have the kind of resources that PNG has but relies heavily on tourism which generated almost K3 billion last year.
Fiji is able to do this not because of its beautiful beaches (which PNG can claim to better) but because of its people.
Fijians essentially understand that they have very limited resources – coconut, sugarcane, beaches, and themselves. They understand that in order to not only survive but to enjoy a good standard of living.
Obeying rules and regulations creates an environment where everyone feels safe and comfortable to live their lives effectively.