Positive ideas help fight crime

 By SHIRLYN BELDEN 

THE national government and churches should work together to create positive ideas and policies to help reduce serious crimes in the country, a church representative said. 

Pr David Kondo, of the Christ Lovers Ministry in Port Moresby, said implementing the death penalty would not curb the intent of committing serious or violent crimes but destroy innocent people. 

He said serious crimes were caused by evil or bad ideas that could only be resolved through another bad thought. 

“Creating positive and helpful ideas and policies to fight the rising crime problem in the country is better than using killing that totally is against highest moral practice taught in the Bible,” Kondo said. 

“If PNG is a Christian nation, then we should follow the Bible teachings when creating concepts, laws, policies and ideas to address such matters. 

“A crime is caused out of an evil idea which can only be destroyed by a good or positive idea. To destroy a person’s life through the death penalty in the name of fighting high crimes will bring curse to the nation. 

“The government must think seriously and let the Word of God be the guiding principle to address problems. Only God takes away life and man cannot do it because that is injustice.” 

Kondo told The National that his ministry had been working with the Bomana detention facility and Boroko police cells for seven years and he saw changes in the prisoners and convicts. 

That proved that man can change if they are provided positive rehabilitation, environment and support.  

Kondo said the government’s intention to implement the death penalty as a deterrent or way to discourage serious crimes such as rape, murder and sorcery-related killings was not the way to go as killing a person would not deter the intention of committing serious crimes. 

Kondo stressed that a more effective solution to reduce such crimes would be for the government and churches to create best practices from biblical and Christian ideas and principles.