Have you been to school? Then don’t spit betel nut or litter, says tourism chief

EDUCATED citizens in Port Moresby are setting a bad example when they chew betel nut, spit in public and litter, Tourism Promotion Authority chief executive officer Jerry Agus, pictured, says.
He said it was portraying a very bad image of the capital city and the country as a whole as it prepares to host Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 2018.
“If you go to traffic lights and see betel-nut stains, there are a good number of uneducated people from the settlements doing that. But sometimes you will be surprised to see working-class people, people who are educated with degrees like doctors or lawyers (doing the same),” he said.
Agus said as far as tourism was concerned, “if we get Port Moresby right, we can get Papua New Guinea right” because it was the nation’s capital.
“Port Moresby plays a very important role in terms of the image of the country as well,” he said.
“We can’t promote Alotau (Milne Bay), and we can’t promote Kokopo (East New Britain), Goroka (Eastern Highlands) and all these places as thriving tourism destinations without addressing Port Moresby.”
He said people must change their attitude and take ownership of the country.
“You can say that I am a Papua New Guinean. I love my country. So what can I do to make this place a better place?
“Don’t throw rubbish, don’t spit betelnut, because your kids, your wantoks, your relatives will follow what you do.
“If you start throwing rubbish, you start throwing betelnut, what else do you expect people in the settlements to do?”