Resurfaced betelnut markets to be dealt with: Parkop

Caption: Malauro betelnut market growing in the absence of enforcement by NCDC. 

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, December 13, 2015 (Sunday)

THAT was the warning put up by the NCD Governor when referring to the rise in betelnut trading in Port Moresby despite the ban in place.

"When everyone looks at the big picture- they would agree with me that the buai ban despite all its problems is being a successful program."

Governor Parkop said despite the regrowth in the trade within the city the ban was still in full effect.

Parkop, however, added that enforcement had been loosened due to funding constraints to prioritise in cleaning the streets prior to the Pacific Games in July.

“The ban has helped us clean the city to the extent that we can. It is still a problem, some choose to be idiots and spit everywhere and do not care about everybody except themselves and what they get out of it.”

“But otherwise it has been a good intervention program to get rid of and remind all our vendors and chewers that while they want to make money and enjoy betelnut there is a downside.”

“As long as they do not deal with the downside it is going to be a problem for them- this is the whole essence of the buai ban.”

He made mention of Malauro where the nut sales have flourished in the months after the games.

“We have tolerated that because of a lack of funds at this time that betelnut market is flourishing a bit,” he admitted.

“I want to remind the people out there down at that areas in Malauro, Boroko, and East Boroko that we are going to deal with that area soon.”

“So those vendors that have been having a good time there- because of a lack of funds we have not enforced the ban in that area.”

Mr Parkop repeated that as long as remains governor, he would stamp on the issue no matter how long it takes.

“What do we have to do is to change our people’s behavior in that regard and I am not compromising on that,” he said.

“Up to now it is just because we have put a lot of emphasis into cleaning up the city and enforcing the ban coming to the pacific games and we exhausting our funds so we slowed it down a bit, but we are at the end of our financial year and we are going to put the money back to the budget for next year, which is less than a month away.”

“Those people at Malaoro better start packing up and moving out because once we past the budget when we meet it is going to be enforcement time again. So in respect of all the criticism I say to everyone it is very simple and not rocket Science.”

“Why does it have to cost us millions of Kina, and lives and all the harassment just to achieve that outcome?”