Ban ‘good for capital’

 THE betel nut ban in the capital city has gone down well with the public, with many city residents showing positive reaction.

A longtime resident of Tokarara, youth leader and two-time contestant for the Port Moresby North-West electorate Jerry Tandawai, a betel nut chewer, said the ban helped his youths to think positively and they had become busy in their communities.

“My boys thought that selling betel nuts was the only way to earn an income in the city. Now, they have realised the importance of keeping the city clean,” Tandawai said.

“They are happy to be stationed at the main Tokara and TST Fire bus stops to look out for the public littering with betel nut spit and husks.

“They are taking the lead and being responsible towards the cleanliness of the city.”

Tandawai urged other suburbs and community leaders to encourage youths to turn away from betel nut selling and engage in other useful ways of making a living. He said there was no excuse for residents to say that selling betel nuts was the only way of making money. 

Tandawai said there were many productive and industrious ways of earning a living and he urged residents to sought help from those who were willing and ready to help live a decent life.

Moses Roy, a second-year strategic management student at the University of Papua New Guinea, said the university bus stop was a haven for informal betel nut vendors who sold betel nuts and cigarettes to students and the public but now the area is clean, healthy and beautiful.

“The university bus stop today is clean and tidy. It portrays a positive image of the premier university of the South Pacific,” Roy said.

“The ban has proved critics wrong that it would create inconvenience to the city residents, especially the informal sector, but now residents understand the importance of having a clean, healthy and beautiful capital city.”