Alcohol ban to be extended

By GABRIEL LAHOC
THE alcohol ban in Lae ends next week – but it is likely to be extended for another six months.
This is to cover the general election period up to the end of July.
The alcohol ban, imposed late last year to help curb criminal activities, has been widely accepted and applauded by the members of the public.
It is why the Morobe provincial government wants to extend it.
The provincial executive council is yet to officially announce its decision on the matter.
But if Morobe deputy governor Morokoi Gaiwata has anything to do with it, the ban will be extended.
Gaiwata supports the extension of the ban because of the  effects of alcohol on the people and the drinking culture which has contributed greatly to social ills in the city and led to the uprising late last year.
He told public servants from the provincial administration that lives of people were far more important than the losses incurred by businesses as a result of the ban.
He promised to support the extension of the ban when it comes up for discussion at the provincial executive council this week.
The ban has forced Lae residents who usually drink in public and harass people to go to hotels and clubs and enjoy themselves there.