Social issues destroying society

THE collapse in discipline and respect in our society should be addressed now or it will affect the future.
Law and order issues are on the rise, social ills, drop in ethical standard, decline in morality, increase in domestic drug and abuse and the list goes on.
We report almost daily on crimes that involve behaviour influenced by alcohol consumption.
Alcohol abuse is a contentious issue that poses many challenges for our society.
There is an urgent need to address alcohol consumption and related issues in the country.
The latest murder on Saturday involved someone who was under the influence of alcohol.
The sale of alcohol in the community through black markets needs to be discouraged by the policy makers as this is the quickest avenue through which people use to consume alcohol.
Since the clock struck Jan 1, PNG has recorded 12 murders.
Within a space of these days, two gruesome murder took place in Port Moresby both involved clobbering with knife.
One over K100 and the other over a 20toea.
This is an indication of a sick society.
Like a serious illness affecting the body, PNG is fighting a constant battle to stay on a path that will deliver the people to a better state of affairs.
The symptoms are exhibited on an almost daily basis.
After over 45 years of independence one would have thought that the country would have attained a level of wealth that reflected the abundant natural and human resources available but that is not the case.
We simply cannot afford to because to continue as we would mean we risk losing everything we have and are.
It is not possible to remove the problem once and for all because we are talking about changing human attitude, mindset and behaviour which have been influenced by the social environment that individual interacts.
We all should understand that just as the social problems took years to fester and become open sores, so does social intervention that would take time to work.
Also, social intervention cannot prosper in community environment where the law is impotent and criminals rule.
For social intervention to sustainably work, for people to go about their business freely and without fear, for children to go to school unmolested and without being lured by criminals, law and order must rule.
Any place can be transformed easily if law and order issues are addressed adequately to allow a conducive environment for business activities and service delivery.
Police presence in the communities would bring an impact and bring about changes
In many instances, the societies that have made headway in achieving peaceful, progressive and harmonious existence are those that have strong and effective policing and a sound, fair justice system.
It is a generational change that will take place over time provided there is constant positive reinforcement of the right behaviour.
Developmental issues are the government’s main challenge.
There is some hope in the current government but one hopes that its actions are genuine and that it has the people’s welfare at heart.
While a few areas have seen some improvement, a lot still is required to eradicate this issue, which, if not addressed will be an impediment to development.