Local: Females brew alcohol

 By GABRIEL FITO

WOMEN and girls at Moem village outside Wewak are to be blamed equally as men for the brewing and consumption of homebrew in the village, a community leader says.

Ward councillor John Kalsup said  women were also involved in drinking and other unruly behaviour.

This was revealed during a ceremony organised by the rural police station commander Insp James Baugen for locals to surrender homebrewing equipment.

Concerned villagers supported Kalsup.

“It is no secret our women and girls in the village are shouting abuses and disturbing us while under the influence of homebrew. I am very disappointed that not all of them are here to surrender the equipment,” village elder Thomas Kuauri said after only one young female surrendered her gas bottle.

According to a list of names provided to police, 13 young people were expected to surrender their equipment to police but only four males and a young female did.

Baugen urged the others to immediately hand them over to their ward member this week or they would face the full force of law.

“Home-brew and marijuana are not our culture. These are borrowed cultures from other places,” he said.

“They know how and when to take these substances but we are consuming them 24 hours and seven days. 

“This is very harmful because it creates a sick community, sick society and sick Sepik. 

“It is better we surrender and give away these things and concentrate on developing our human resource.”