Regulate sales of betel nut in the city

I studied and lived in Port Moresby since 1997.
Each day, the volume of rubbish and the number of settlements grow
as more people move to the city.
The people have taken advantage of the government’s failure to enforce the law on the sale of buai and the expanding of settlements.
As such, Port Moresby has become one of the dirtiest cities in the world.
You have to see where you put your foot as the roads and pavements are splattered with betel nut spittle.
I observed that buai is the main cause of giving the city a dirty and unhygienic look.
Look at the amount of buai spittle, stains and empty husks .
Chewers do not have respect for the state and other people’s property as they leave the ugly red stains on the walls and fences.
Bus stops and traffic light areas
are the dirtiest spots as people stick out their heads and spit.
Youths are selling buai instead of going to vocational centres to learn technical skills such as carpentry and welding.
When the LNG construction started, we did not have the technical la­bour force, resulting in thousands of expatriates doing jobs which young Papua New Guineans can do.
Many people see they can live in the city just by selling buai and this has attracted many people to urban areas.
Many come without knowing where to sleep and start looking for open space to stay or put up shelter.
If nothing is done, all the hills in NCD will soon be covered by shanty buildings.
This will give the city a bad image.
Just drive around Boroko, Gerehu, Waigani and downtown and you will notice that three-quarters of the po­pulation in NCD are people without any formal employment.
Our leaders should not entertain comments such as chewing buai is a Melanesian way because not all our ancestors chew buai.
I urge NCD Governor Powes Parkop to write to this newspaper and tell us how he plans to control the sale of buai and growing settlements in the city.

Jude Kopol
Port Moresby