WAIENG CALLS FOR CONDITIONAL LIFTING OF LIQUOR BAN

MEMBER for Kundiawa and Post and Communications Minister Peter Waieng
wants the total liquor ban in Kundiawa lifted conditionally as a
measure to ease the worsening law and order problems in the electorate.

At a news conference yesterday, Mr Waieng said that since the ban was
imposed throughout the province in 1996, law and order problems had
escalated as had the price of black market liquor.

As all the highlands provinces except Eastern Highland province are
under the total ban, people from as far as Porgera were travelling all
the way to Goroka for beer and giving rise to unpleasant incidences.

Smuggling of liquor had also become a growing menace.

The rising prices of illegal liquor have also seen the people turn to
marijuana as an alternative - an even more destructive substance.

Mr Waieng proposed that the liquor ban be lifted conditionally only in
Kundiawa, such that only one licence be issued for each area serving
5,000 to 10,000 people, and that the licensee is allowed to sell only
10 cartons a day.

Ward councils would be the only ones selling liquor and former liquor
traders wishing to operate would have to share their revenue 50-50
with the council wards, Mr Waieng suggested.

That way, he said, the revenue generated by the council wards would in
turn be spent on raising awareness on responsible drinking.

Mr Waieng said Papua New Guineans seemed to have only the aim of
finishing all the money and getting drunk on beer.

He pointed out that the "white man" definition was to have a beer or
two after work as a form of relaxation just before they go straight
home.

"I want to fight two enemies by having the liquor ban lifted," the
Kundiawa MP said.

He said such an awareness campaign would involve the use of pamphlets,
using youth and women's groups to carry programs from village to
village about responsible drinking.

He said another reason was to raise the province's internal revenue
from this year's K3 million to around K7 million next year.