A new era free of red slime

 BANK South Pacific’s annual ‘Go Green’ cleanup campaign is a praiseworthy initiative that promotes a clean and healthy environment.

Last Saturday, scores of residents in Port Moresby and other major centres joined in to clean up their respective towns and cities.

Schoolchildren, parents, youth group members and others took part in the annual cleanup by collecting rubbish in the streets, parks, and waterways.

It was a worthwhile effort that cleared away piles of rubbish that had been accumulating for the past weeks or even months.

For at least the one day of the year, the roads, streets and parks in Port Moresby were devoid of empty plastic bags, empty soft drink cans and other litter that are a persistent eyesore for its residents and visitors.

The nation’s capital is possibly the dirtiest city in Papua New Guinea, a fact that may have prompted the country’s leading commercial bank, under the leadership of former chief executive officer Ian Clyne, to initiate the annual cleanup.

Since its inception, the campaign has tried its best to drum the message of having and preserving a clean and healthy living environment into this melting pot of ethnic groups and cultures.

But is this message getting through and changing the people’s mindsets? 

By the look of things, we don’t think so.

It seems that a great many of Port Moresby’s residents prefer to maintain the city’s dirty image. They  don’t appear willing to lift a finger change the city’s “dirty” reputation.

A prominent resident who thinks otherwise is NCD Governor Powes Parkop, who is about to realise one of his goals – to make Port Moresby a “cleaner, healthier and beautiful” city.

It’s no state secret that the governor is totally fed-up with the dirty and unhealthy habits of many of his constituents who returned him to office for a second term last year.

Next Tuesday, Parkop’s total ban on betel nuts will take effect in the city, to the dismay of thousands of vendors and chewers.

“It’s all systems go for the ban,” Parkop’s executive officer Terence Moka boldly predicted in a full-page advertisement yesterday.

He stressed that there will be “zero tolerance” on betel nut selling and consumption in public places come Oct 1.

All selling of buai at shop fronts, office fronts, bus stops and illegal markets such as the Manu buai market, Erima, 5-Mile, East Boroko’s Chinatown, Gerehu’s 24-hour market and all other non-designated buai market areas will cease to operate on that day.

Parkop’s intentions are loud and clear.

But his plan to clean up the nation’s capital by imposing the ban could backfire on his political future.

While the betel nut suppliers from Central and Gulf are up in arms over the ban, they are not his constituents and their complaints will not affect him.

However, the betel nut retailers and chewers who are residents of NCD could be a major concern for Parkop come the 2017 elections. 

They form a massive vote bank that could easily tip the scales and dump him in the next general election. 

That is if Parkop intends to have another crack at the governor’s seat. 

If not, then he has nothing to fear just like President Barack Obama, who is attempting to strengthen firearms regulations in the United States during in his final term in office.

Come what may, the governor has made a courageous decision to impose a total ban on betel nuts and rid Port Moresby of betel nut husks, slimy red spittle and the general mess that is associated with this controversial trade.

We hope that betel nut vendors and chewers will also appreciate Parkop’s initiative. 

Surely, they must see the bigger picture.