Capital’s ranking fair, do something about it

Letters

NATIONAL Capital District (NCD) Governor Powes Parkop’s reaction to a report ranking Port Moresby 138 out of 140 liveable cities in the world makes no sense.
The Economic Intelligence Unit ranking Papua New Guinea’s capital city as one of the least liveable cities in the world shoud be seen and taken as a wake-up call for Parkop and his team at the NCD Commission.
Parkop should get out and witness the realities of living in Port Moresby everyday.
It is the most unclean and unsafe city in the Pacific.
I heard that Parkop has been to some cities in the Pacific.
But I wonder if he had learnt anything to bring back to PNG and Port Moresby, to make the city a safer place to live in.
Women, girls, boys and men get robbed on the streets of Port Moresby every day.
Unlike Parkop, these people do not have flashy tinted-glass vehicles to travel in.
Almost every month, there is an ethnic clash in Port Moresby and people are killed.
The bus stop wardens are walking around with iron rods and sticks.
They do not look like they shower regularly.
These bus stop wardens are the dirtiest guards in the Pacific.
I highly doubt that you’d see something like this in other Pacific Island countries.
Why do you think Port Moresby was ranked that low?
It was interesting to see that the Economic Intelligence Unit, which ranked Port Moresby the third least liveable city, also picked Adelaide in South Australia as the third most liveable city in the world.
I live in Adelaide and I know why this Australian city is the third-most liveable city in the world.
On Tuesday morning, at 12.30am, I walked out from Adelaide’s central business district, which is 5.5km towards the southwest end of where I live.
I was not held up or threatened by anyone on the street.
In many centres in Papua New Guinea, what I did would be considered dangerous.
That is just one reason why Adelaide ranks so high on that list and Port Moresby could learn from it.
I encourage Parkop to come down to Adelaide to see what he can do to improve living conditions in Port Moresby.
I can offer him some tips too, including ensuring that the bus service in Port Moresby is run by well-managed private firms, drivers are dressed properly and buses are well-coordinated and follow their schedules.
We can make Port Moresby safer if our priorities are set right and our will is strong to make our streets safer for everyone.
As things are, Parkop does not seem to have the will to change things.
He has been the governor for more than two terms, but the streets of Port Moresby are still unclean and unsafe.
Parkop has not managed to control the betel nut trade and spitting on the streets.
He also said before the 2018 Apec forum that he would make Port Moresby the “Dubai of the Pacific”, which appeared to be a joke to some of us.
Parkop should wake up now.
He should swallow his pride and start to clean up Port Moresby.

Make PNG Streets Safer