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Editorial, Normal
Source:

The National, Tuesday 30th April 2013

 ENOUGH of talking and let’s just get on with it. 

Can the Constitutional Review Commission review the provisions in the Criminal Code relating to crimes against women quickly and recommend harsher penalties for offenders including the death penalty? More of these crimes are expected to happen and we need to move quickly, arrest the perpetrators, allow them a fair hearing and then send them away if convicted. Hopefully swift action by authorities will be a deterrent to others.

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SOME believe the media should be emphasising more on positive stories rather than the negative. The fact is someone has been raped and murdered so why should that story be given second preference? It has to be told and we hope responsible authorities will get the message and act. Let us not pretend bad things do not happen. The question is what are you doing about it? 

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SOMEONE from Morobe posted on Facebook asking for the Morobe MP. It is becoming the norm to read on the front page of newspapers: “Brutal killings in Lae”. Are the leaders of Morobe so blind they can’t act? Do more lives have to be lost before they realise what is going on? Leaders should act swiftly and start implementing much-needed changes that will eradicate such social problems.

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CUSTOMER service in PNG in some offices is taking 10 steps back instead of moving forward. The customers do not want to hear about your office issues. If the officer does not want to work, resign and leave and let someone else who has the passion to work carry on with your task.

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A GROUP of students in the United States recently sent 410 books to students in Papua New Guinea as part of the school’s yearly participation in the OCHO project: Read for a Need. In this programme, students pledge to read eight books to earn three to five free books that they can select at a school book fair. After the children enjoy these books over the summer, they are asked to bring back the books to be donated to needy kids across the world, in areas such as Africa, India, Vietnam – and this year it was sent to PNG. 

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The OCHO project is a character building and literary based service-learning programme dedicated to exposing children to the joys of reading. OCHO stands for Opportunities for Children to Help Others

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GOOD news for the 700 plus councillors and the local level government presidents from the 26 LLGs in East Sepik who will soon be paid their monthly allowances for the past 10 months. Their payments were not made on time because the East Sepik provincial government used the money earmarked for their allowances to take the O’Neill-Namah regime to court in August 2011. 

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POSSIBLE gift ideas for Mother’s Day … standby generator, solar panels or a small Tuffa tank thanks to the constant power and water cuts being experienced around the country!!! 

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