Commission working on betel nut control plan: Kipit
By AILEEN KWARAGU
NATIONAL Capital District Commission (NCDC) is working on its betel nut control plan 2019-2022 under the Summary Offences Act (2018) to formulate a system to implement the law.
In a notice published by NCDC yesterday, city manager Bernard Kipit said the Act was legally effective in July.
“The Act had been in operation since early July and is applicable in all public places within the 22 provinces and 89 districts,” he said.
He added that the Act was also applicable in all Government offices and on public transport as well.
In the public notice, Kipit said any person found engaging in selling, buying, chewing and spitting betel nut in public places would be “impounded” by police.
“If anyone is caught, you will be detained, bailed and subsequently conveyed to a district court house of summary jurisdiction for due prosecution,” Kipit said.
Meanwhile, in June Asst Comm of Police (ACP) Anthony Wagambie Jnr said NCD and Central police would not enforce the betel nut ban as there was not enough awareness.
He said they were in support of NCDC’s effort to keep the city clean but awareness should be conducted first.
The National tried to get official comments from NCD Met Supt Perou N’dranou and NCD Governor Powes Parkop but was unsuccessful.
Bus stop wardens through Pacific Corporate Security have been helping to control the sale of betel nut and rubbish.
5 comments
Sales and consumption of beetlenut leading to littering and degradation of public places and private properties has become an headache for all those in authority, especially the urban city/town authorities. Why is it so hard to stop it for good? That’s because almost everyone indulges in this filthy habit, from politicians, top public servants and their subordinates, policemen/women, soldiers, warders…….and all the way down to the paupers on the streets. Who’s going to take it seriously? Papua New Guineans find it hard to change socially no matter how highly educated we are simply because we all come societies where dirt and filth and living with animals is a way of life for us back in the villages. So who’s going to keep our urban centers neat and tidy when we can’t do it ourselves? No one!
So there’s only one solution to this and that is to hire one or two scientist(s) to come up with a way to destroy all beetlenut palms in the country and encourage all lazy scumbags who depend on beetlenut trading to get involved in agriculture. That would be more meaningful for themselves and the country, wouldn’t it?
If all those who chew betel nut, chew responsibly, we won’t have this problem.
Usim het nabout, het blo umi faul yet, umi habrusim ol longlong man sawe collectim rubbish lo street…
The problem is with the END USERS (Those who chew betel nut irresponsibly). There are some responsible betel nut chewers.
It is the laziest form of gameful employment. Go back home and toil the soil. The suppliers are lazy, venders are lazy and chewers don’t care less. Full support to NCDC, punish all those lazy people.
Vagrancy Act
For those who are against the Vagrancy Act i concur with you but let’s look at another perspective. When we continue to involve in illegal or unauthorised activities is an indication that we are lazy and cannot fit into our society. Simply, everyone in both towns and villages these days resort to selling betel nuts or cigarettes on the streets 24/7 and wasting valuable time. Are we becoming productive PNGeans by such? Definitely NO. Taking back PNG and making PNG becoming one of the richest black nation is simply, rich in thinking, rich in making decisions, rich in our approaches, rich in our characters, rich in every aspects of life. This is not happening and the Vagrancy Act should be reintroduced but with due diligence and with adequate public awareness.
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