THE National Capital District Governor Powes
Parkop has imposed a ban on PNG’s favourite nut – the betel nut (buai, in
Pidgin) as of Oct 1.
When Mr Parkop was first talking about the
possible ban months earlier, many people criticized his proposal saying that
some people sustained their living by trading betel nut.
Some were arguing that the nut was part of
our culture and should not be banned.
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Photo: The nuts (top) with other stuff on a vendor's table. Other stuff include mobile phone top up cards, tobacco rolled sticks, snacks in packets and cigarettes.
It is now over two weeks, and the change the
ban has made to the general cleanliness and hygiene around the main shopping
areas and bus stops in the National Capital District (which is where the Port
Moresby is) is amazing.
Word is out that locals in other centres want
to adopt the idea because the ban is producing results.
I will be posting a few items that appeared
in the media regarding the ban and related stories.
One of the first items would be a message
from the Health Minister Michael Malabag.
He said that betel nut chewing poses health and
environmental hazards.
(See the next post.)
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