Hebe: Youth policy covers law and order

National Youth Commissioner Johnson Hebe says the National Youth Policy is comprehensive and covers law and order as one of its nine thematic areas.
“The government does have a national youth policy and it is indeed comprehensive for all practical purposes and it does come with related implementation work programmes,” he said. 
“These programmes will not single-handedly fix all the issues and problems that gave birth to the stand-off in Lae city between the people of Morobe and those from other parts of Papua New Guinea.
“The national government, through the National Youth Commission, will be partnering with NGOs, churches and community-based groups to address issues with the youth through the establishment of youth-friendly centres in every district of PNG, including Morobe.
“This is an integral approach to addressing youth developmental issues in PNG.
“The national youth policy and its strategies are current and so clear that only it requires the provincial government to fund its provincial and district youth offices to implement the plans.
“The situation in Morobe has deeply rooted underlying causes, and implication and it presents the country fresh opportunity to relook at all prevailing causes and possible effects and come up with national action plans designed to prevent the repeat of what has happened in other townships and urban centres in the country.
“One of the daily newspapers highlighted that the youth of the nation must be blamed totally for the situation in Lae.
“The Post-Courier is right to a li­mited extent but the nation must put the issue in its proper perspective because we all know that the youth and their part in what happened is only part of the problem that gave rise to the situation that resulted in the stand-off.
“The provincial governments and other institutions must hear the voice of our youths and assist them to move to the right direction.”
Hebe commended Peter Seski, the chairman of the community-based organisation, – Morobe Law and Justice Group – for his initiative organising local youths to help reduce
criminal activities in the city and rural districts.